Ek Faisla
by Padmini92
Summary: Is there always a right time to make the right decision? Can age or society really come between love? When two long-lost lovers met again after many years, what will happen? Will they understand their feeling for each other, or they will go far from each other again?
1. Chapter 1

Ek Faisla

Is there always a right time to make the right decision? Can age or society really come between love? When two long-lost lovers met again after many years, what will happen? Will they understand their feeling for each other, or they will go far from each other again?

A/N- this story is based on a different concept , the couple is matured enough, so no rose-chocolate-candle light dinner type romance! I am not sure people will like it or not, so it depends on reviews that I shall continue or not.

Two months passed after Shreya and Siddharth got married. All members of CID team, including Insp. Daya attended the wedding ceremony. Everyone, specially Abhijeet was concerned for Daya, and feeling really bad for him, but Daya was calm. In fact, he did not react at all. He attended the wedding with a fixed smile on his face, congrats the newly married couple, and left silently. From the very next day, he completely engrossed himself in work, became even more calm and quite, and started spending more than 12 hours in bureau. He spoke only when it is necessary to say something, ate and rested for a while, only when Abhijeet forced him to do so.

Abhijeet was tensed for him. Only he knew what his best friend was going through, but he did not know what to do to get him out of this! He tried every possible way to cheer him, but all in vein! Whenever he tried to talk, Daya stopped him saying that he did not want to talk about it. Abhijeet was feeling completely helpless.

One morning, duo entered in the bureau, to find an awkward silence there. The expression on everyone's face was clearly indicating that something was wrong.

Abhijeet- kya huya? Sab itna chupchap?

Pankaj- woh sir… woh actually..

Abhijeet- kya hai Pankaj? Bolo na!

Nikhil- sir, actually Shreya aaj CID se resign kar rahi hai.

Daya (shocked)- KYA?

All looked at him but said nothing.

Daya (controlling his emotions)- mera matlab, kyun? Woh toh humesha kahti thi ki shadi ke baad bhi woh apna job continue karegi!

Purvi- haan sir, par situation kuch aisa ho gaya… Siddharth ke gharwale nehi chahte ki woh yeh job continue kare, toh..

Daya was about to say something but stopped seeing Shreya coming out of ACP's cabin. She collected her belongings, and bid goodbye to her colleagues.

Purvi- Shreya, ek baar phirse soch lo! kya yeh naukri chodna zaruri hai? Tum unhe samjha nehi sakti?

Shreya did not answer, just hugged her tightly. After leaving her, she asked, "tumlog mujhe bhul toh nehi jaoge na?"

Purvi replied, "kya bol rahi hai yaar"- though she had a feeling that the question was not for them, but for a certain someone.

Shreya came to duo, and said with a brief smile, "chalti hoon sir"!

Daya (looking directly in her eyes)- bye Shreya. Ummeed karta hoon ki tumhara yeh faisla tumhare liye sahi sabit ho, aur tum khush raho!

Shreya (looking at him for a few moments)- jee sir. Bye!

Saying that, she left. With a deep sigh, Abhijeet ordered his subordinates, "chalo sab, kaam pe laag jao!"

All- yes sir.

Everyone went to their respective works. Abhijeet himself went to the Record Room to get a file. Daya stood there for a few seconds, then went straight to ACP's cabin.

Daya- may I come in sir?

ACP- arre Daya! Aao, kya baat hai?

Daya- sir, meri tabiyat kuch thik nehi hai. Toh kya main aaj ka din C.L le sakta hoon?

ACP (watching him keenly)- haan zarur! Tum ghar jaao, aur apna khyaal rakhna.

Daya- jee sir! Thank you.

And he left. After sometime, when Abhijeet returned from the Record Room, ACP called him, and said, "Abhijeet, Daya ghar chala gaya. Kah raha tha ki tabiyat thik nehi hai. Tum bhi aaj chutti lo, aur ghar jaao. Use is waqt tumhari zarurat hogi."

Abhijeet- jee sir. Par sir, yeh case?

ACP- hum handle kar lenge. Tum jaao.

Abhijeet- ok sir!

Abhijeet left for home. Before he could reach there, it started raining heavily.

Abhijeet- pata nehi Daya ghar pe hai bhi, ya beach pe jaa kar baitha hai! Par itni barish ho rahi hai, shayed ghar pe hi hoga. Dekhta hoon.

He reached home, and luckily, Daya was there. The main door was open, Abhijeet entered the house to find Daya sitting on living-room sofa, looking out of the window.

Abhijeet- Daya!

Daya- arre Abhijeet, tum yahan?

Abhijeet- haan, ACP sir ne bataya ki tumhari tabiyat thik nehi hai, toh aa gaya dekhne!

Daya- kya yaar tum bhi! Bas thodi si sar dard hai, isliye..

Abhijeet- thodi sar dard ki waje se Senior Insp. Daya ko chutti lete huye main ne aaj taq nehi dekha Daya!

Daya (avoiding eye contact)- kya boss! Yeh CID mein rahkar, haar baat pe shaq karne ki adat ho gayi tumko!

Saying that, he got up and started walking towards the door.

Abhijeet- kahan jaa rahe ho?

Daya- dekho na, kitni achhi barish ho rahi hai! Bin mausam ki barish hai, toh thoda bhigne ka maan kaar raha hai! Bas abhi aata hoon.

And he started leaving, but Abhijeet stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

Abhijeet- Daya, hum dono ke ilawa yahan koi nehi hai! Aur mujhse apni ansooyo (tears) ko chupane ke liye , tumhe barish ki sahara lene ki zarurat nehi hai! Kyun ki barish bhi unko mujhse nehi chipa sakte!

Daya was stunned. "yeh Abhi ko humesha pata kaise chal jata hai?" he thought.

Getting no reaction from him, Abhijeet called in a soft voice, "Daya!"

Daya could not control anymore. He just turned around, and hugged his brother so tightly that Abhijeet could feel his fingers digging into his ribs. Pressing his face in Abhijeet's shoulder, he cried his heart out.

Abhijeet, though did not expect this exactly, embraced him and let him cry.

For a long time, they stayed like this. None of them said anything, because they understood each other's silence.

Daya (in mind)- woh kyun chali gayi yaar? Humesha mere sath hi aisa kyun hota hai? Jis kisi insaan se bhi main pyaar karun, woh humesha mujhse durr ho jata hai! Mana ki woh ab meri zindegi mein nehi rahi, lekin mere aankho ke samne toh thi! Main use dekh toh sakta tha, uski awaaz sun sakta tha! Aisa laag raha hai jaise ki meri koi bohot kimti cheez kho gayi ho!

Abhijeet (in mind)- Daya, jo bhi huya, ache ke liye huya! woh agar tere samne hoti, toh haar pal tujhe yeh ahsaas hota ki woh ab teri kabhi nehi ho sakti! Tu zindegi mein kabhi aage nehi baad pata yaar! Usse toh yeh achha hai ki Shreya apni zindegi mein khush hai, aur ab tu bhi apni zindegi ke bare mein soch payega, aapne ateet ko bhulakar ek nayi shuruwat kaar paayega! Main jaanta hoon ki pyaar shabd se ab viswaas uth gaya tera, lekin ho sakta hai ki, phir se ek baar teri zindegi mein pyaar aaye? Aur agar aisa nehi bhi huya, toh tera Abhi toh tere sath hai na? chahe kuch bhi ho jaye, main tere sath humesha rahunga, aur tujhe akelapan ka ahsaas kabhi hone nehi dunga! Yeh mera wada hai tujhse!

Slowly, they got separated. Abhijeet removed the remaining tears from Daya's face and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. Daya smiled at him. The same old, sweet smile, after two months. Which assured Abhijeet that his Daya was now coming back to him.

A/N- this chapter was not planned exactly like this, but Duo stole the entire chapter. next one will be posted soon.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- Thanks to all my readers for your valuable reviews. For the guys, who are sad about Dareya getting separated, I am assuring you that it is a Dareya story! But the concept is different, as I've already told, and you will see it in upcoming chapters. And it depends on readers, that I should continue or not!

 _25 Years Later:_

Daya woke up hearing his cell-phone ringing. He looked at the clock, it's 8 a.m.

Daya- itne subah-subah kiska phone hai? Retirement ke baad bhi kya chayn ki neend nehi milegi!

But seeing the caller ID, his expression changed.

Daya- haan Abhijeet, bolo. Itne subah-subah kaise phone kiya? (excited) kahin ghumne jane ka plan hai kya aaj?

Abhijeet (from other side)- khyaal toh achha hai sahab ka, lekin main aapko bata doon, ki aaj aapko ghumne nehi, balki hospital jana hai! Aapka monthly check-up ka din hai, aur yehi yaad dilane ke liye main ne phone kiya.

Daya (making a face)- kya boss! Main bilkul thik hoon!

Abhijeet- aur age bhi thik raho, isiliye check-up karwana zaruri hai! Daya, maan bhi lo ki ab umar ho gayi hai! Bas routine check-up hi toh hai! Itna kyun chidte ho yaar?

Daya- Achha! Waise tumhari umar toh mujhse zyada hai! Mere retirement ke ek saal pahle tumne retire kiya! Tum kitna karwate ho apna yeh routine check-up?

Abhijeet- kya matlab hai tumhara, haan? Main har do mehine mein apna check-up karwata hoon. Tumhari tarah nehi hoon main! Aur dekh, meri umar pe mat ja! Tujhse zyada fit hoon main! Mera B.P bhi normal hai! (serious) khair, aaj subah 11 baje, Re-Life hospital mein Dr. Rajiv ke sath tumhara appointment hai. Ab tum khud jaoge, ya mujhe tumhare ghar aa kar tumko jabardasti le jana padega, yeh tum decide karo!

Daya (pouting)- nehi, uski zarurat nehi hai! Main chala jaunga.

Abhijeet- good. Aur haan, yeh bachho ki tarah muh phulana chodo, bilkul achhe nehi lagte! (pausing) waise, mujhe yeh sab kahne ki zarurat hi nehi padti, aaj agar tumhara khyaal rakhnewala koi aur hota!

Daya- Abhii! Tum phirse shuru ho gaye? Kitni baar kaha na tumse, ki in baaton ka ab koi matlab nehi hai! Aur maan lo agar meri shadi ho bhi gayi hoti, toh kya tum mera khyaal rakhna chod dete?

Abhijeet- woh baat nehi hai yaar! Lekin agar tumhara apna ek parivaar hota, bachhe hote, toh…

Daya- toh? Kya tumhara parivaar mera nehi hai Abhi? Kya Arjun aur Tanisha mere bachhe nehi hain?

Abhijeet- kaisi baatein karte ho yaar! Of course yeh tumhara hi parivaar hai, aur Arjun aur Tanisha tumhare bhi bachhe hain! Par…

Daya- par-war kuch nehi! Abhijeet, tum meri zindegi mein sabse pahla rishta ho. Aur tumse mujhe zindegi mein woh sab kuch mil gaye, jo mujhe chahiye tha! Ab yehi mera parivaar hai, meri zindegi hai, aur main isi mein khush hoon. So please, is bare mein aur koi discussion nehi!

Abhijeet (smiling)- achha baba, thik hai! Lekin tum subah 11 baje pohunch jana hospital, ok? Derr mat karna!

Daya- haan, thik hai. Chalo, bye.

Abhijeet- bye.

After disconnecting the call, Daya checked the time again.

Daya (thinking)- sirf 8 bajkar 10 minute hi huye! Yahan se Re-Life hospital jane mein aadha ghanta lagta hai, aj Monday hai, toh traffic sayed thoda zyada rahega! Koi baat nehi, 10 baje ghar se niklunga!

He pulled the blanket again, and closed his eyes. "it's only for five minutes", he thought.

It's already 10.10 a.m. Daya hurriedly came out of his house, locked the main door, and was about to start the car, his phone rang.

Daya (without looking at the caller id)- hello!

Abhijeet (from other side)- haan Daya, kahan taq pohunche?

Daya (biting his tongue)- woh, bas ghar se nikal hi raha tha..

Abhijeet- abhi taq ghar pe hi ho? Yaar, tumko pata hai na, us raste mein kitna traffic hota hai? Thodi jaldi nehi nikal sakte the?

Daya- ab derr ho gayi, toh kya kar sakte hai! Tum chinta mat karo, main pohunch jaunga time pe!

Abhijeet- achha yeh batao, breakfast kiya tumne?

Daya- haan woh… matlab nehi…

Abhijeet- pata tha! Kyunki mujhse baat karne ke baad, tum phirse so gaye the, hai na? yaar, isiliye main subah 8 baje phone karke tumko utha diya, aur tum…

Daya (extremely embarrassed)- Abhi.. sorry main…

Abhijeet (sigh)- achha chodo! Wahan hospital ke samne hi ek cafeteria hai, check-up ke baad, pahle wahan jake kuch kha lena, Aur apni blood-pressure ki dawai bhi le lena! aur haan, car zara aaram se chalana, ok?

Daya (smiling)- ok. Bye.

Abhijeet- bye.

Daya's car stopped due to traffic on the way to the hospital. He checked the time and murmured, "Abhijeet sahi kah raha tha! Kahin zyada derr na ho jaye!"

When after ten minutes, the traffic was not cleared, he got irritated. Getting out of the car, he asked a passerby, "bhaisaab, kya huya? itni derr taq yeh traffic?"

Passerby- pata nehi saab, sayed age kuch huya hoga! Wahan samne kafi bhid lagi huyi hai.

Getting curious, Daya moved to see what happened. He moved near the crowd and asked a person that what happened.

Person- dekhiye na saab, yeh ladki beech raste par behosh hoke padi hai!

Daya- kya!

He moved nearer and was shocked to see a young girl lying unconscious on road. People gathered there and were busy in discussing about her, but no one's doing anything to help her!

Daya- arre aaplog aise khade kyun hain? Ise hospital toh le jana padega!

One man- kya saab, sab ke paas apna kam-dhanda hai! Kaun padega in sab jhamelein mein!

Daya- ya phir yeh kahiye, ki kisiko koi zimmedari nehi chahiye!

Man- jee?

Daya- jee haan!

He was about to say something more, but understood that his words were going to fall in deaf ears. So he just said, "dekhiye, main ex-CID officer Daya hoon, aur main hospital ki taraf hi ja raha hoon. Agar koi isko zara meri gadi taq lane mein madat kare, toh main ise hospital le ja sakta hoon."

2-3 people agreed and helped Daya to carry that girl to his car. Soon the traffic was cleared and Daya started towards hospital.

Dr. Rajiv, the dean of Re-Life hospital was an old friend of duo. Daya informed him about that girl before reaching the hospital, so there was no difficulty to admit her in hospital.

Daya- Rajiv, pata lagana hai ki yeh ladki kaun hai, aur iske gharwalo ko bhi inform karna hai. Iska chehra aur kapdo se toh lagta hai ki achhe ghar ki hai! Phir aise…

Rajiv- haan Daya, tum chinta mat karo. Dr. Meera uska ilaj kar rahi hai. Sabse pahle usko hosh mein laana zaruri hai.

Daya- par..

Before he could complete the sentence, a nurse approached them.

Nurse (to Dr. Rajiv)- sir, us ladki ke paas jo purse tha, us mein se uska mobile aur id-card mila. Us ladki ka naam Jyoti hai. Aur mobile se aakhri call usne aapni maa ko kiya tha. Toh humne usi number pe phone karke uske bare mein inform kar diya.

Daya felt relaxed after hearing this.

Rajiv- ho gaya? Ab chalo, tumhara bhi check-up karna hai!

Daya (smiling)- haan, chalo.

After the routine check-up , Rajiv admitted that Daya was perfectly fine, just had to continue some regular medicines. Daya did not pay attention to his words, his mind was engrossed in the thought of that unknown girl. So after leaving Dr. Rajiv's cabin, he went straight to the reception to ask for the girl's howabouts.

Receptionist- sir, woh abhi pahle se bahtar hai. Dr. Meera uski treatment kar rahi hain, toh aap unhi se baat kar lijiye.

Daya- kahan milegi Dr. Meera?

Receptionist- woh rahi! Jyoti ke ghar se koi aaya hai, unhi se baat kar rahi hain.

Daya turned and saw Dr. Meera talking to a middle-aged woman. He could not see that woman's face. "may be Jyoti's mother", he thought.

He moved near and heard Dr. Meera saying, "chinta ki koi baat nehi hai. Use bukhar tha pahle se, aur itni garmi aur sayed work-stress ki wajese hi aisa huya hai. Main ne use injection de diya, aur ek din observation pe rakhna chahti hoon. Aap use kal ghar le ja sakti hain."

To be confirmed that they are talking about Jyoti, Daya approached Dr. Meera.

Daya- Dr. Meera, woh Jyoti..

Both ladies turned and looked at him. When his gaze fell on that woman's face, it felt like his heart skipped a beat. The sentence he was saying remained incomplete, because he could no longer find his voice. With some effort, he could only utter one word, "Tum?"


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to all the readers and reviewers.

Hamdard Duo, Geet, Shreya, Jasdeep, Dishani, Priya, Blair.64, Mistic Morning, aash vin and Guests, Thanks a lot friends. Here comes the chapter 3.

If his senses were working properly, Daya could see that the condition of the other person was worse. She could clearly hear her own heartbeats. She could not tell how she was feeling, because so many emotions filled her heart, she could not recognize any of them properly! Only the burning sensation in her eyes was telling her that tears were forming.

"Shut up! You are not a collage-girl!" she scolded herself. She could not understand why she was feeling like this, even after so many years?

The awkward silence was broken by Dr. Meera's voice, "Daya sir, yeh Shreya ji hain, Jyoti ki mom. Aur maa'm, yeh Mr. Daya hain, Jyoti ko behoshi ki halat mein inhone hi hospital le aaye.

A smile formed on her face, though she was not aware of it. "Daya sir, still the same! Never thinks twice before helping a needy!" she thought.

Dr. Meera watched them suspiciously for a few seconds, then asked, "kya aap dono pahle se ek dusre ko jaante hain?"

Fighting their own emotions, none of them dared to talk, just nodded.

Dr. Meera (with a confused smile)- ok, main chalti hoon. Aaplogon ko aur kuch poochna ho toh mere cabin mein aa jana.

She left and there was the same awkward silence again.

Finally Daya composed himself and asked, "tum yahan? I mean, what a surprise! Itne dino baad.."

Shreya also controlled her emotions, and said, "sir, hum kahin baithke baat karein?"

Daya- haan, sure!

He remembered Abhijeet's words and asked shreya if she would like to go to the cafeteria! She agreed and they went there.

Daya ordered a sandwich and coffee for himself. Shreya took coffee only.

Shreya (with a faint smile)- so, kaise hain aap?

Daya (smiling)- main toh thik hoon! Tum batao, kaisi ho?

Shreya- fine! Aur baki sab kaise hain? Abhijeet sir aur Tarika? Unki shadi hui ki nehi?

Daya- haan, tumhari shadi ke ek saal baad hi toh shadi hui thi! Unke do bachhe hain, Arjun aur Tanisha. Tanisha medical ki padhai kaar rahi hai,aur Arjun law collage se paas hoke abhi abhi practice shuru kee hai.

Shreya- oh, that's great! Aur woh Freddy sir, Purvi, Sachin sir, Nikhil, Pankaj…

Daya – Purvi toh shadi karke London mein settled ho gayi hai. Sachin aur Nikhil ki posting ab Delhi mein hai. Pankaj ka pata nehi, transfer hone ke baad woh zyada humare touch mein nehi raha. Par uski shadi hum sab ne attend kiya tha, Jaipur mein. Aur Freddy ka retirement toh mere sath hi hua, woh bhi achha hi hai. Ghar ke kamkaj mein bhabiji ka hath bata raha hai aaj-kal. Aur haan, finally usko ek promotion bhi mila tha, retirement ke pahle!

They shared a laugh. Then Shreya hesitantly asked, "aur ACP sir?"

Daya understood her hesitation and said, "ab 80 saal se zyada umar ho gayi, aise mein aadmi jitna achha rah sakta hai, utne achhe hain! Ghar se nehi nikalte aajkal, humlog ki jaa kar mil lete hain kabhi kabhi."

With a sigh of relief, Shreya asked, "aur sir, aapki family?"

Daya- family means, bhaiya-bhabi toh America mein hi hain, bohot din ho gaye unse mile huye! Baat hoti hai kabhi kabhi, phone aur skype ke zariye. Meri bahen Puja aur jija ji Puna mein settled hain, unka beta Malhar ko wahan job mil gaya. Pichle mahine hi aaye the mujhse milne. Achhe hain sab!

Looking at her eyes, Daya quickly understood, what she actually wanted to know. So he casually added, "haan, agar family se tumhara matlab biwi-bachhe hain, toh.. Sorry! Woh episode miss ho gaya mujhse!"

Shreya took a deep breath, which she did not know for what reason held so long. Then asked with amazement, "kyun sir?"

Daya- ab… chodo na! tum aapni batao. Waise bohot pyari beti hai tumhari!

Shreya- Jyoti meri beti nehi hai sir!

Daya (confused)- kya? Par hospitalwale toh bol rahe the..

Shreya (interrupting)- woh mujhe maa kahti hai. Actually woh meri honewali bahu hai. Mere bete Deepak ki girlfriend.

Daya (even more confused)- toh phir.. tumne uske gharwalon ko inform nehi kiya?

Shreya- humare ilawa Jyoti ka is duniya mein aur koi nehi hai sir. Woh ek orphanage se belong karti hai.

Daya- oh, I see! Toh tum aapne bete ko toh inform kiya na? kahan hai woh?

Shreya- haan, main ne phon kar diya. Bas aata hi hoga.

Daya- waise, ek hi beta hai tumhara?

Shreya – haan sir. Mumbai Police Academy mein hai woh abhi. CID join karna chahta hai woh.

Daya- oh really? Tumhare bete ko CID officer banna hai?

Shreya (smiling proudly)- haan sir. Use mera adhura sapna jo pura karna hai!

All of a sudden, Daya felt so emptied inside. It was same strange feeling he experienced 25 years earlier, when Shreya decided to marry Siddharth, when they got married, and finally, when she left CID. Today it was not so strong , still it was the same. Knowing that Shreya had moved on, she was settled in life, she was happy with her family, her being a proud mother, everything reminded him, that now he was completely an outsider in her life! And that hurts.

After a few moments of silence, Daya asked in a low voice, "aur, Siddharth kaisa hai?" though he did not actually want to know.

Shreya (absent-minded)- achha hi hoga..

Daya- hoga.. matlab?

Shreya (being conscious) – nehi matlab.. achha hai!

Daya could smell something fishy, but did not say anything. He just asked, "tum khush toh ho na?"

This time, Shreya looked directly in his eyes, and said, "aap kyun pooch rahe hain sir? Aapko jaanke kya karna?"

Daya looked downward as he did not want to show his pain to this woman. With a small pause, he said in a cold tone, "bas ek purane dost ke haisiyat se pooch raha hoon. Agar tum khush ho, toh woh jaanke mujhe bhi khushi hogi! Aur agar yeh kaho ki tum achhi nehi ho, toh bura lagega."

Suddenly Shreya burst out in laughter. To control the laugh, she covered her face with both palms, and said, "bas? Phir chodiye sir, is mein kaunsi badi baat hai! Haan agar yeh kahte, ki Shreya tum khush ho, yeh jaanke badi taqleef hogi mujhe, tumhari shadisuda zindegi achhi nehi hai, yeh sunkar khushi milegi, toh alag baat thi." And she started laughing again.

Daya looked at her, completely startled. And before he could understand what she's saying, he realized that she was not actually laughing.

When she looked up again, tears were rolling down her face, and anybody could tell that those are not tears of joy.

Shreya (in moist tone)- do saal! Sirf do saal taq rah payi thi main uske sath! Uske baad, hum alag toh ho gaye, lekin tabtaq meri puri zindegi badal chuki thi.

Daya (shocked)- yeh kya kah rahi ho Shreya? Kyun.. I mean, aisa kya hua ki..

Shreya- Sidhharth jaise insaan ke sath koi bhi swabhimani ladki ka rahna na-mumkin hai! Har baat pe shaq! Main thodi derr ke liye ghar se bahar jaun, toh shaq, phone pe kisise baat karoon, toh shaq, koi mujhse milne aaye toh shaq, yahan taq ki main thodi derr balcony pe ya terrace pe jaun, toh bhi shaq! Waise sari galti uski bhi nehi hai! Uski maa aur bua ka bhi kafi haath tha use uksane mein! Mujhe kaunse kapde pahenna hai, chutti ke din humne kahan ghumne jana hai, kaunsi film dekhna hai, sab kuch unhi ko decide karna tha! And Sidhharth was ok with that! Dam ghutta tha mera us ghar mein! (pause) lekin in cheezon ke sath bhi main adjust kar leti, lekin… jis din pata chala ki Siddharth ki zindegi mein mere ilawa kahin aur ladkiyan hain, tab mujhse aur bardast nehi hua! Mere liye yeh faisla lena bohot mushkil tha mere liye, kyun ki tabtaq main pregnant ho chuki thi. Phir bhi, main ne decide kiya ki, aapne bachhe ko ek achhi zindegi, achhi parvarish dene ke liye bhi mujhe us ghar se, us mahol se jana hi hoga!

Daya- phir? Apne mummy-papa ke paas chali aayi?

Shreya- haan, kuch dino ke liye, jabtaq divorce nehi ho gaya! Uske baad, us ghar mein rahna bhi possible nehi tha.

 **Flashback:-**

Shreya's dad (Suresh)- Shreya tum yeh thik nehi kar rahi ho! Kya sochkar chali ayi us ghar se? dekho, beti ki shadi hone taq woh maa- baap ki zimmedari hoti hai! Uske baad, sasural ki amaanat. Ek shadisuda ladki, aise maa-baap ke ghar baithi rahegi, woh bhi ek bachhe ke sath, toh log kya kahenge? Samaj mein kya izzat rah jayegi humari?

Shreya's mom (Ragini)- haan Shreya, apni nehi, par kam se kam apne bachhe ki toh soch! Iski parvarish kaun karega, agar tu ne talaq le liya toh?

Shreya- yeh mera bachha hai mom! Toh of course iski parvarish main hi karungi! Waise bhi main nehi chahti ki mera baccha, dusra Sidhharth Singh Rajput bane! Aur papa, apko isliye izzat ki padi hai na, ki main talaq lena chahti hoon? Agar main aaj vidhva(widow) hokar yahan aati, toh bhi kya aap yehi kahte?

Ragini- chup kar! Kuch bhi bole ja rahi hai! Aur dekh, yeah bachha tere akele ka nehi, Siddharth ka bhi hai! Uska bhi haq hai is par!

Shreya – kis haq ki aap baat kar rahi hain? Agar use zara bhi is bachhe ki parwa hoti, toh aab taq aapni galati sudharne ki koshish karta! Yahan aake mere sath patch up karne ki koshish karta! Aisa kuch kiya usne?

Ragini- toh tu koi rajkumari hai? Jo aise hi aapne pati ke ghar se muh uthaye chali aayi, aur soch liya ki itne aamir khandan ka ladka, tujhe manane ke liye doudta chala aayega? Samajhti kya hai tu aapne aapko?

Suresh- aur kya! Aur meri toh yeh samajh mein nehi aata, ki Siddharth ne aisa kiya kya! Agar tujhpe hath uthata, dahej ke liye pareshan karta, toh alag baat thi! Kuch bhi toh nehi kiya usne! Thoda-bohot shaq toh har pati-patni ek dusre pe karte hain. Jahan pyaar hota hai, wohin khone ka darr hota hai, isiliye shaq bhi hota hai! Kyun Ragini?

Ragini- haan! Aur rahi baat uski maa aur bua ki,is tarah ki problems to har ghar mein hota hai! Uske liye koi aapna ghar toh nehi chod deta! Thoda adjust toh har ladki ko shadi ke baad karna padta hai!

Shreya- itne dino se toh wohi karti aayi hoon mom! Aur Siddharth ka dusri ladkiyon ke sath najayes rishta rakhna? Yeh bhi kya aapko choti baat lagti hai?

Suresh- dekho Shreya, kisi aur pe ilzaam lagane se pahle aapni galati dekhni chahiye! Zarur tum mein hi koi kami hogi, warna woh aisa kyun karega? Ek mard dusri aurat ke paas tabhi jaata hai, jab use aapni biwi se sukh na mile!

Shreya – BAS! Enough is enough! Ab mujhe aur kuch nehi sunna! Yeh ghar aapka hai, agar aap nehi chahte, toh main yahan nehi rahungi. Lekin yeh zindegi meri hai, iska faisla main hi karungi!

Saying that, she left.

Ragini- Shreya, meri baat…

Suresh- jaane do use. Ladkiyon ka itna ghamand achha nehi hota! Aaj humari baat nehi maan rahi hai, jab khud pachtaygi, tab aakal thikane aayega!

 **Flashback ends.**

Daya- phir?

Shreya- phir kya! Hum ne mutual divorce le liya, uske baad main Bangalore shift ho gayi. Abhi 3 mahine pahle hi hum dubara Mumbai aaye, Deepak ki training ke liye.

Daya- lekin tumne mujhse… I mean, hum mein se kisise contact kyun nehi kiya? Dubara CID bhi join karne ki bhi koshish kar sakti thi!

Shreya- bas, yun samajh lijiye ki us waqt mujhe yehi sahi laga! Main is shahar se, aapne jan-pahechan ke logon se kahin dur jana chahti thi. Waise bhi, us waqt main akeli nehi thi, Deepak bhi tha mere sath! Mujhe akele uski parvarish karna tha, jo CID mein rahke mumkin nehi tha! Isiliye mujhe koi asan sa, 10 ke 5 ki naukri dhoondni padi!

Daya- tum abhi bhi job karti ho?

Shreya- haan, bank mein. Bangalore se yahan Mumbai mein transfer leke aayi hoon.

Daya- kitna struggle kiya tumne aapni zindegi mein! Lekin Siddharth aur uski Family? Wohlog tumhe wapas le jane ki kabhi koshish nehi kee? Kya unko nehi pata tha ki tum… tum maa bannewali ho?

Shreya- haan, pata tha. Lekin Siddharth ne mere bachhe ko aapna maanne se bhi inkaar kar diya! (brief pause) aur haan sir, bohot struggle kiya main ne. ek single mother ke liye jitni mushkilein aa sakti hai, sabka samna kiya! Lekin kabhi kisi ke samne sar nehi jhukaya! Aur meri sabse badi kamiyabi, mera Deepak hai sir! Jise main ne ek achha insaan banna sikhaya!

For some moments, Daya sat there in stunned silence. His heart was breaking in million pieces after hearing all these, but at the same time, somewhere in deep down his mind, there was a feeling of satisfaction. His Shreya could never be happy with anyone else! He was ashamed of that feeling, and tried to deny it, still it was there.

After some moments of silence, Shreya said in low voice, "I am sorry sir! Mujhe sayed aapko yeh sab nehi batana chahiye tha! Main ne aaj taq kisiko bhi nehi bataya! Lekin aaj, barson baad aapko dekhke pata nehi mujhe kya ho gaya!"

Daya could not say anything. He could not utter one word to console her. He just kept staring at her, and forgot that now he was 60 up, and she was almost 50! His gaze fell on her palm, placed on the table. He wanted badly to hold the palm and say that everything's ok! He wanted to say that nothing had changed! He wanted to say that he still lo… no, how's that possible? He could not be in love, not in this age! At least it could not be same as before! But then he again looked at her and saw those big, beautiful, expressive eyes, which were still the same! Age, struggle or loneliness could not change them. Lost in those eyes, he wished for the earth to stop rotating for a few seconds, the time to stop at that moment, all the eyes out there in the world to be closed for some time and,

 **"For God's sake, hold your tongue, and let me Love"**

But all of a sudden, a shrill sound startled both of them, which was the ringtone of a mobile.

A/N- the quotation is taken from a poem by John Donne. I don't own that.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N-** Sorry for late update friends. **Artanish, Mistic morning, Geet, Jasdeep, Priya, Humdard duo, Shreya, dishani, Aash vin, Blair.64 and Guests** , thanks a lot for reviewing **.**

Coming back to reality, Shreya quickly turned her gaze and picked up the phone.

Shreya- haan.. main yahan, samne cafeteria mein hoon… thik hai.

Then she said, without looking at Daya, "woh.. Deepak ka phone tha. Mujhe lene aa raha hai."

Saying that, she suddenly got very busy sipping the coffee.

Daya also took a sip of his coffee and smiled to his own thoughts of moments ago. Seriously, what was he thinking? "tu nehi sudhrega Daya! Aaj bhi wohi ke wohi sentimental fool rah gaya!" he thought sarcastically.

Soon after, a handsome young man entered the café and started looking here and there. Seeing him, Shreya stood up and waved at him. He too waved at her with a smile and came towards them. Daya also stood up and looked at him.

"He got his mother's face"- Daya thought with a relieved sigh, though he did not know why. Actually, seeing Shreya and him together, anyone can easily guess that they are mother and son. He is handsome enough, and did not look like Siddharth from any angle!

Shreya came forward and said, "sir, yeh mera beta hai, Deepak. Aur beta, yeh.."

Deepak- Senior Inspector Daya, right?

Both looked at him, surprised. Then Shreya asked, "tum inhe kaise jaante?"

Deepak paused for a second, then said with a smile, "kya maa, khud CID officer banne ja raha hoon, aur inhe nehi pahchanunga? Yeh toh ek aadarsh hain humare liye!"

Daya smiled at him, bit embarrassed. Deepak came forward to touch his feet.

Daya- bas bas, jeete raho beta!

Deepak- bohot achha laga sir aapse milke. Yeh meri bohot dino ki khoyaish thi! Par sir, aap yahan?

Shreya- Deepak, inhone hi Jyoti ko Hospital taq le aaye.

And she told him everything.

Deepak- ohh, thank you so much sir! Agar aaj aap nehi hote toh pata nehi..

Daya- arre nehi beta, aise kyun bol rahe ho? Yeh toh mera farz tha! Main ne jo bhi kiya, bas insaniyat ke nate kiya.

Deepak was about to say something, but Shreya asked, "Deepak, Jyoti ab kaisi hai?"

Deepak- maa, woh thik hai abhi. Mujhse thodi derr baatein bhi kee, phir doctor ne use neend ka injection diya, kyun ki use rest ki zarurat hai. Abhi so rahi hai woh.

Daya- tum chinta mat karo, woh jald hi thik ho jayegi. Achha, ab main chalta hoon.

Deepak- sir, agar aap bura na mane toh kya main aapse ek request kar sakta hoon?

Daya- haan, bolo!

Deepak- sir, actually doctor ne kaha ki kaal subah 10 baje Jyoti ko discharge diya jayega. Toh us waqt hum mein se kisiko hospital aana hoga. Ab kaal mera Police Academy mein fitness training ka ek special class hai, toh main nehi aa paunga. Agar aapko problem na ho toh..

Shreya (interrupting)- arre, toh kya hua? Main aa jaungi na! tum inhe kyun pareshan kar rahe ho?

Daya- nehi, pareshani ki koi baat nehi..

Shreya- no sir, it's ok. I shall manage.

Deepak was a bit disappointed, but said to Daya with a smile, "thik hai sir! Par sir, aapko ek din humare ghar zarur aana hoga! Jyoti ka bhi bohot maan hai aapse milne ka. Abhi bhi woh baar baar aapke bare mein hi pooch rahi thi. Tab toh mujhe nehi pata tha ki woh aap hain jo… aap aayenge na sir?"

Daya (with little smile)- haan, thik hai..

Deepak's face lit up and he said excitedly, "great! Aap kab aayenge sir? Agar Sunday ko ho toh main pura din ghar pe rahunga! Maa, aap Daya sir ko aapna card dijiye na, jis mein aapka address aur mobile number hai!"

Daya smiled at his excitement, and said softly, "beta, ek baar aapni maa se bhi toh pooch lo! mere aane se unko koi problem toh nehi?"

For so long, Shreya was silent. She did not know what she wanted actually! Half of her mind wanted to stay with Daya, her Daya sir, and to never let him go, while the other half was telling her to just run away from the person, and hide.

But the comment of Daya made her to look up, and she quickly said, "nehi sir, mujhe kyun problem hogi? Aap zarur aayiye! Main.. hum sab aapka intezaar karenge."

She opened her purse and handed her card to him. With a brief smile, Daya took it.

Deepak- toh hum chalte hain sir!

Daya- ok. Par beta, ek baat karni thi!

Deepak- jee?

Daya- tum mujhe sir kyun bula rahe ho? Waise main tumhari maa ka senior tha, lekin woh toh 25 saal pahle ki baat hai! (with smile) tum mujhe uncle kah sakte ho!

Deepak (smiling)- ok. Bye uncle!

Daya- bye beta! Bye Shreya!

Shreya- bye sir!

They left. Daya stood there for a few more moments, as long as they were in view, then with a sigh, he also left.

At evening, Daya's car was stopped in front of a bungalow. He came out of the car and rang the door-bell.

A cute-looking teen-aged girl opened the door and welcomed him with a smile. She was Tanisha, Abhijeet and Tarika's daughter.

Tanisha- hi chachu!

Daya- hello beta! Aapke mummy-papa kahan hain?

Tanisha- woh dono bahar gaye kisi kaam se. bas aate hi honge!

Daya- oh, aur aapke bhaiya?

Tanisha (making a face)- bhaiya kahan is waqt ghar pe rahte hain? Gaye honge aapne doston ke sath ghumne! Aap baithiye na chachu! Main aapke liye coffee lekar aati hoon.

Daya- coffee? Tum banaogi?

Tanisha- haan, kyun? Mujhe aata hai coffee banana!

Daya- par beta, tujhe toh gas jalane se bhi darr lagta tha!

Tanisha- who pahle ki baat thi chachu! Ab main badi ho gayi!

Bewildered, Daya stared at her for a few seconds. A naughty smile appeared in his face.

Daya- arre wah! Mujhe toh pata hi nehi chala ki humari gudiya kab itni badi ho gayi! (Tanisha smiled. Daya pulled out a dairy milk chocolate from his pocket and continued) waise, main soch raha tha ki phir yeh chocolate kisi aur ko de doon! Kyun ki gudiya toh badi ho gayi, aur yeh sab toh bachhon ke liye hota hai.. nehi?

Tanisha- No Way Chachu! Chocolate toh main hi khaungi!

She tried to snatch it from Daya's hand. Daya laughed and gave it to her.

Tanisha (happy)- thank you chachu!

Daya ruffled her hairs with a smile, and asked her about her studies. They chatted for some time, and soon after Abhijeet and Tarika returned. Both were glad to see Daya.

While talking to them, Daya's mind was getting diverted repeatedly. He loved being here, with these people, who loved him, cared for him, considered him as family, and whom he considered as his real family! But today, it was something different.

Tarika- Daya!

Daya (startled)- haan.. kya hua Tarika?

Tarika- yeh batao ki tumko kya hua? Kahan kho gaye the? Main kabse kuch pooch rahi hoon! Tabiyat toh thik hai na?

Daya (embarrassed)- haan.. woh main kuch aur soch raha tha! Tum batao na, kya pooch rahi thi?

Tarika- main yeh pooch rahi thi ki aaj dinner mein kya khaoge?

Daya (smiling)- kya Tarika, is mein poochnewali kaunsi baat hai? Tumhare hath ka bana har cheez mujhe pasand hai!

Tarika also smiled and said, "achha thik hai! Pahle yeh coffee toh pee lo! thanda ho raha hai."

Daya- haan.

But he did not show any interest in coffee, and it was clear from his expression that he was in deep thought.

Abhijeet, who was watching him keenly, signaled Tarika to leave them alone for some time. Tarika understood, and left saying, "main zara kitchen mein jaa rahi hoon".

After she left, Abhijeet directly asked, "ab bata, kya pareshani hai?"

Daya- pareshani? Nehi.. nehi toh.. mujhe kya pareshani hogi!

Abhijeet- Daya, tujhe abhi bhi lagta hai ki tu mujhse kuch chupa sakta hai? Dekh, agar nehi batana hai, toh mat bata! Saf-saf bol de ki nehi bataunga! Main force nehi karunga tujhe. Lekin jhuth mat bol!

Daya – Abhi please! Aisa kuch nehi hai yaar! (pause) haan, main kisi baat ko lekar pareshan hoon, lekin mujhe khud samajh nehi aa raha ki…

He could not complete the sentence, but Abhijeet understood that something was really troubling his buddy. "kya ho sakta hai?" he wondered.

Abhijeet- achha woh chod! Chal, terrace pe chalte hai!

Daya- terrace pe, kyun?

Abhijeet- chal na! tujhe kuch dikhana hai.

Daya did not say anything and followed Abhijeet to the terrace.

There was a small garden in the terrace, which was a new hobby of Abhijeet. He started showing Daya all the plants and flowers.

Abhijeet- woh orchid yaad hai tujhe? Hum dono sath mein nursery gaye the ise lene. Ab dekh, kitni khubsurat phool khile hai iske!

Daya smiled. Not because of orchid flowers, but he again realized how his brother understood him! Really, he felt much relaxed in this atmosphere, beneath the starlit sky, in the cool breeze, between the beautiful flowers, with his best friend. The warmth of his presence made him feel better, like always!

Two chairs were placed there, side by side. Duo sat there, in silence, for a few more minutes. Then Daya said, "Abhi, aisa lag raha hai, ki mere kisi purane zakhm pe dubara chot lag gayi!"

Abhijeet did not say anything, he knew that Daya had to say much more. He was waiting.

Daya- Aaj main Shreya se mila tha!

Abhijeet- kya? Kahan? Kaisi hai woh?

Daya- hospital mein. Aur kaisi hai, is sawal ka jawab dena thora mushkil hai!

Abhijeet- matlab?

Daya told him the entire story. After hearing everything, Abhijeet said with a painful sigh, "bichari! Bohot bura hua uske sath!"

Daya- haan yaar! Aur itna sab ho gaya uski zindegi mein, aur main uske liye kabhi kuch nehi kar paya!

Abhijeet- arre, is mein tumhari kya galati hai? Usne toh tumse contact bhi nehi kiya, aur Mumbai chodke chali gayi thi!

Daya- main jaanta hoon yaar ki meri galati nehi hai! Phir bhi aapne aapko nehi samjha paa raha hoon! Pata nehi itni taqleef kyun ho rahi hai mujhe! Itne saal baad, jab main use bhul hi chuka tha, tab kyun…?

Abhijeet- nehi Daya! Aapne aapse jhuth bol rahe ho tum! (Daya looked at him, Abhijeet continued) tum use kabhi bhul nehi paye! Woh kaal bhi tumhare dil mein thi, aaj bhi hai! (pause) aaj bhi tu usse pyaar karta hai!

Daya- pyaar? Are u serious? Yaar, 60 saal ke upar umar ho gayi hai, yaad hai na?

Abhijeet(smiling) haan, mujhe yaad hai! Lekin yeh dil jo hota hai na, badi ajeeb cheez hoti hai! Ise na toh umar ka pata hota hai, na hi samaj ka! lekin, zaruri nehi ki humesha hum aapni dil ki sune!

Daya (confused)- matlab? Tum kahena kya chahte ho?

Abhijeet- dekh yaar, main tujhe taqleef mein nehi dekh sakta! Na hi aisa koi sujhav de sakta hoon, jisse tere sath sath aur logon ki zindegi pe bhi asar pade! Daya, jo pal beet gaya hai, use wapas nehi laya ja sakta! Haan, agar 10 saal bhi pahle hota, toh shayed main tumse kahta ki, zindegi ko ek aur mauka do. Lekin ab? Ab woh apni zindegi mein settled hai. Beta bada ho gaya hai uska, bahu aanewali hai, apna ek basa-basaya duniya hai! Uski zindegi mein jo bhi kuch hua, woh bhi ab ateet hai, jise woh piche chod aayi hai! Aur tum uski zindegi se ab bohot dur ja chuke ho!

Daya stayed silent. He knew all these, but hearing them from another person's mouth, it hurts.

Abhijeet placed one hand on Daya's shoulder and said softly, "aur yeh bhi toh socho, kya tum kabhi bhi Shreya ki zindegi ka hissa the? Uske dil mein tumhare liye kya tha, pyaar ya sirf ek infatuation, yeh hum aaj taq nehi jaante! Kyun shadi kee thi usne Siddharth se? Jab use Siddharth ka ghar chodna pada, aapne maa-baap ka bhi sath nehi mila, tab woh tumhare paas kyun nehi aayi? Puri zindegi akele struggle kiya, phir bhi tumhe yaad nehi kiya! Kyun?"

When Daya did not answer, Abhijeet again said, "aur ek pal ke liye agar maan bhi lete, ki tum dono aaj bhi ek dusre se pyaar karte ho, toh bhi kya is rishte ko koi naam de paoge? Agar tum taiyaar bhi ho jao uske liye, Shreya? Kya puri duniya ke khilaf, aur duniya ki chodo, apne parivaar ke khilaf jaa kar use yeh rishta manzoor hoga? Kya uska beta aur bahu ko is rishte se problem nehi hogi? Yaar, jis Shreya ko hum jaante the, woh ab nehi rahi. Ab sabse pahle, woh ek maa hai! Aur maa ke liye uski aulad sabse pahle aati hai, baki sab baad mein! Isliye Daya, please, uske bare mein sochke aapne aapko taqleef mat do! Aur, mujhe lagta hai ki tum dono ke liye yehi bahtar hai, ki tum dubara na milo!"

Daya (after brief silence)- tum thik kah rahe ho Abhijeet! Mera aur Shreya ka rasta toh bohot pahle alag ho chuka hai. Aur waise bhi, aaj jo taqleef mujhe ho rahi hai, woh us din ki dard se zyada toh nehi, jis din main humesha ke liye use kho diya tha! ab jab use meri koi zarurat hi nehi hai, toh kyun milna usse!

Abhijeet patted his back and said even more soft tone, "meri baaton ka bura mat mano yaar! Main sirf isliye kah raha hoon, ki baad mein tujhe aur taqleef na ho! Warna, use lekar jo sapna tu ne dekha tha, aur main janta hoon ki jo sapna aaj bhi tere dil mein kahin na kahin zinda hai, woh agar kisi tarah pura ho sakta tha, toh sabse zyada mujhe khushi hoti!"

Daya looked at him with a smile, though Abhijeet could feel that his eyelids were moist, and said, "kya tumko aaj bhi lagta hai ki tumhe yeh sab kahne ki zarurat hai?"

With a smile, Abhijeet pulled him in a hug, just like he did 25 years ago.

A/N- not upto the mark, right? Yeah, I know that. Reviews are welcome.


	5. Chapter 5

Standing in balcony, Abhijeet was lost in his own thoughts. A soft touch on his shoulder, startled him.

Abhijeet- Tarika, tum kab aayi? Pata hi nehi chala!

Tarika- bas abhi abhi! Yeh lo, tumhari chai.

Abhijeet- oh, thanks!

He took the cup from her hand and sipped.

Tarika- kya hua? Kya soch rahe ho?

Abhijeet- nehi, kuch khas nehi… woh bas..

Tarika- kyun chupa rahe ho mujhse? Daya ke bare mein soch rahe ho na?

Abhijeet looked at his wife, bewildered. Tarika gave him an all-knowing smile.

Abhijeet (faint smile)- haan Tarika! Baar baar usika khyaal aa raha hai dimag mein! Kal bohot disturbed tha woh!

Tarika- par tumne to use samjhaya tha na? aur woh samajh bhi gaya!

Abhijeet- haan, use toh main ne samjha diya! Lekin aapne aapko kahan samjha pa raha hoon!

Tarika (confused)- matlab?

Abhijeet- Tarika, pata nehi kyun, mujhe aisa lag raha hai ki kuch galat ho raha hai! Jo hona chahiye tha, waisa nehi ho raha hai! Ek ajeeb si bechaini ho rahi hai mujhe!

Tarika- Abhijeet please! Shant ho jao! Main tumhari baat samajh sakti hoon! (Abhijeet looked at her, She continued) dekho, main janti hoon ki tumhare dil mein humesha se yeh gham raha ki, humara ghar to bas gaya, par Daya aaj bhi akela hai! And trust me, is baat ki taqleef mujhe bhi hoti hai! Daya mera bhi bohot achha dost hai! Lekin hum teeno jante hai ki ab is bare mein sochne ka koi matlab nehi! (with a painful sigh) Daya ka upset hona toh normal hai! Itne saalon baad jab woh insaan uske samne aayi, jo uska is akelapan ki wajah hai!

Abhijeet- par kismat ka khel dekho Tarika, Shreya bhi toh aapni puri zindegi akeli hi guzari! Jin do logon ko humesha eksath hona chahiye tha, ek galat faisle ki wajese woh ek dusre se kitne dur ho gaye! (sigh) bohot pyaar kiya tha Daya ne Shreya se! woh sachhi muhabbat, jo sayed zindegi mein ek hi baar hoti hai!

Tarika- aur Shreya? Kya uska pyaar bhi sachha tha? Toh phir usne Sidhharth se shadi ke liye maan kaise gayi?

Abhijeet- woh main nehi janta! Main bas itna janta hoon, ki unka rishta tutne ke liye, kahin na kahin meri kuch zimmedari thi! Aur yeh baat main kabhi nehi bhul sakta!

Tarika- Abhijeet! Phirse wohi baat? Jo hua tha, usmein tumhari koi galati nehi thi! Shreya ke dad ne tumhe majboor kiya tha!

Abhijeet- lekin unhone mujhse jhooth kaha! Koi majboori nehi thi unki! Woh toh bas, ameer khandan mein apni beti ki shadi karake, khud ameer banna chahte the!

Tarika- par tumko kahan is baat ka pata tha?

Abhijeet- mujhe pata lagana chahiye tha na! apne dost ke khatir! Aise aankh bandh karke main ne bharosa kyun kiya us aadmi par! (pause) aur jab mujhe sab kuch pata chala, tab bhi main kuch nehi kar paya, na hi kuch kah paya un logon ko! Kyun ki Daya ne mujhe rokh liya!

Tarika- toh kya galat kiya Daya ne? tabtaq shadi ki sari taiyari ho chuki thi! Tab tum jake agar un logon se kuch kahte bhi, toh kya hasil hota? Shadi toh nehi rukhti, bekar mein tamasha ho jata!

Abhijeet- nehi Tarika! Daya ne mujhe sirf isliye nehi rokha tha! Balki isliye, ki woh nehi chahta tha ki Shreya ke aapne maa-baap ki sachhai uske samne aaye! us dukh aur sharmindegi se bachana chahta tha woh Shreya ko.

Tarika (brief silence)- whatever! Ab hum is bare mein kyun discuss kar rahe hain?

Abhijeet- woh isliye Tarika, kyun ki mujhe is waqt sirf do zindegiyon ka khyaal aa raha hai! Jinhe zindegi ne kuch nehi diya, aur ab sayed ek dusra mauka de rahi hai! Lekin use bhi woh dono gawane ja rahe hain!

Tarika- yeh kya kah rahe ho Abhijeet? Tum khud jante ho ki ab yeh mumkin nehi hai! (pause) tum jaisa soch rahe ho, ki zindegi ne Daya ko kuch nehi diya, yeh sach nehi hai! Mana ki uski zindegi mein ek jeevan-saathi ki kami hai, par baki sab? Uske career ka socho! Naam, izzat, paise, kya nehi mila use zindegi mein? Jahantaq parivaar ki baat hai, hum sab toh hain na? Arjun aur Tanisha uske liye uske apne bachhe jaise hi hain. Aur un dono ke liye bhi, tum mein aur Daya mein koi farq nehi hai! Aur rahi baat Shreya ki, use toh zindegi ne woh tohfa de diya, jo ek aurat ke liye sabse unmol hota hai! Is umar mein insaan ko aur kya chahiye? Nehi Abhijeet, mujhe nehi lagta ki ab un dono ko ab ek dusre ki koi zarurat bhi hai! Jo waqt beet gaya hai, use wapas nehi laya ja sakta! Aisi koshish karne se sirf problems hoti hai, aur kuch nehi!

Both stayed silent for some moments. Then Tarika said in a low voice, "achha, main ab nikalti hoon. Warna lab pohunchne mein derr ho jayegi."

Abhijeet nodded, without looking at her. Though he knew that Tarika was not completely wrong, his heart did not let him agree with her.

 _Shreya's Apartment:-_

Shreya was working at kitchen. Actually her hands were working mechanically, she was completely lost somewhere. She did not notice when her son came to the kitchen. When he called her, she did not hear him at first.

Deepak- Maa!

Shreya (startled)- haan.. haan Deepak! Kya hua?

Deepak- kya baat hai maa? Aapki tabiyat toh thik hai na? main kabse bula raha hoon aapko, aap sunn hi nehi rahi thi!

Shreya- haan.. woh main kuch soch rahi thi! Tum batao, kyun bula rahe the?

Deepak- woh, actually mujhe nikalna hai, training ke liye! Agar breakfast taiyar ho toh…

Shreya- haan, tum jao, jakar hall mein baitho! Main aa rahi hoon.

Deepak- ok.

He left. Soon after, Shreya came and served him breakfast.

Deepak- maa, aap bhi lijiye na!

Shreya- mera abhi mann nehi hai! Tum khao, main baad mein kha lungi.

Deepak- mann nehi hai! Kahin aapko bukhar toh nehi hai!

He reached out to touch her forehead, but Shreya stopped him.

Shreya- nehi beta, mujhe kuch nehi hua! Main bilkul thik hoon.

Deepak was not convinced, but did not argue. But then he looked at his plate, and looked up immediately, astonished!

Deepak- maa, agar aapki tabiyat thik hai, toh phir koi pareshani hai kya aapko? Please batayiye na!

Shreya (bit irritated)- nehi Deepak, aisa kuch nehi hai! Kyun baar baar pooch rahe ho?

Deepak- toh phir aapne mere toast par peanut butter kyun lagaya? Mujhe allergy hai isse!

Shreya (completely embarrassed)- oh, I'm so sorry, pata nehi kaise, mera bilkul dhyaan nehi raha! Tum rukho, main abhi kuch aur bana deti hoon!

Deepak- nehi maa, it's ok! Main bahar kuch kha lunga, derr ho rahi hai mujhe!

Shreya- koi derr nehi hogi beta, bas do minute!

She rushed towards the kitchen. Moments later, Deepak also followed her.

Standing at doorstep, he watched his mother for a few seconds, then asked in a calm voice, "maa, batayiye na, kya pareshani hai aapko? Main kaal raat se dekh raha hoon, aap bohot udaas hain, khoyi-khoyi si laag rahi hain! Aapke chehre pe yeh udaasi mujhe bilkul achhi nehi lagti!"

Shreya (without looking at him)- aisa kuch nehi hai beta! Main toh bas, Jyoti ke bare mein soch rahi thi. Pata nehi, achanak kya ho gaya use!

Deepak (smiled a little)- Jyoti ko toh aap jante hi hain, apni health ko lekar kitni careless hai woh! Par Doctor ne kaha na, chinta ki koi baat nehi hai! (pause) woh toh achha hua, ki Daya uncle us waqt wahan the! Warna pata nehi kya ho jata!

Hearing the name of Daya, Shreya's whole body was stiffened. It's getting difficult to hide her state of mind from her son, who knew him better than anyone else in this planet! But she could not let him know! She could not let him find out, that since yesterday, there was not a single moment, when she did not think about Daya sir! All those memories she kept far from her mind for so many years, were coming back to her. Her CID days, her first meeting with Daya sir, all those moments they spend together. How he rescued her and her family from the goons in Ahmedabad! The relationship, which was just started to form between them, the shy, sweet one!

After that, the wrong decision, which changed her entire life! Her marriage, leaving CID! She noticed the pain, the helpless look in his eyes, but paid no heed.

Then Siddharth! The stressed relationship of two years. Divorce. Abandonment from her parents. And Deepak! Her entire world! Her only reason to breath!

She did not forget her Daya sir! She never could! But she learned to live without him, and never thought of meeting him again. He stayed with her as a golden memory in her heart. He stayed with her as her silent tears of lonely nights. She could feel him, whenever in between all her struggle and frustrations, she could find a small reason to smile. And he stayed with her in her…

Her trail of thought was broken by Deepak's voice, "maa! Kya hua?"

Shreya- haan.. kuch kaha tumne? Sorry, main ne suna nehi!

Deepak- main ne kaha ki hum Daya uncle ko ghar kab bula rahe hain?

Shreya- Daya sir ko ghar.. kyun?

Deepak (surprised)- kyun matlab? Kal hi toh main ne unko invite kiya! Aur woh razi bhi huye the aane ke liye! Hum ek kaam karte hain, is Sunday unko lunch pe bulate hain! Aap unka number dijiye, main baat karta hoon.

Shreya- isi Sunday kyun? Mera matlab.. unko koi zaruri kaam ho sakta hai..

Deepak- haan, toh pata kar lete hai! Agar woh free honge, toh achhi baat hai. Warna hum koi aur date fix karenge. Aap number dijiye na!

Shreya- woh.. unka number mere paas nehi hai!

Deepak- kya maa! Kal itni derr taq aap dono ne baatein kee, aur unka number lena hi bhul gayi? Achha, koi baat nehi! Senior Insp. Daya ka number, humare Academy mein kisi na kisi ke paas toh zarur hoga! Main pata kar lunga!

Shreya- rahne do na Deepak! Kya zarurat hai iski!

Deepak- arre, zarurat kaise nehi! Unhone hum pe itna bada ahsaan kiya, itna toh banta hai na! aur Jyoti ka bhi bohot mann hai unse milne ka!

A sad smile appeared on Shreya's face. "jitna ahsaan unhone mujh par kiya, woh chukane ke liye toh ek zindegi bhi kam hai"- she thought. Then said, "achha thik hai! Jyoti ko ghar toh aa jane do pahle!"

Deepak- use toh aaj hi discharge mil jayga! Aap jaa rahi ho na usko lene?

Shreya- arre haan! 10 baje taq pohunchna hai wahan! Tum yeh noodles khao, main tabtaq jake taiyaar ho jati hoon. Phir sath mein niklenge.

She left the kitchen. Deepak waited till the door of his mother's room was closed. Then he dialed someone's number in his mobile and started speaking in very low voice.

From other side- hello!

Deepak- hi Jyoti! Kaisi ho?

Jyoti- I am fine Deepak! Tum Academy jaa rahe ho kya?

Deepak- haan. Maa aa rahi hain tumhe lene.

Jyoti- maa se kuch baat hui?

Deepak (brief silence)- main ne jo socha tha, woh sahi hai Jyoti!

Jyoti (pause)- Ohh! Toh ab..?

Deepak- main kya chahta hoon, yeh toh tumhe pata hai! Ab karna kya hai, yeh hum dono milke tay karenge!

Jyoti- agar tumhari baat sach hai, toh main humesha tumhare sath hoon Deepak! Kyun ki, tum jo chahte ho, woh main bhi chahti hoon.

Deepak (smiling)- bye sweetheart! Love you!

Jyoti- love you too, Deepak! Bye!

Call was cut from both ends.

 _A/N- Dear Readers, sorry for the late update. I am busy these days, due to the preparations of my sister's wedding._

 _ **Geet, Mistic Morning, Blair.64, Dishani, artanish, mahesh15, Diganter817, Jasdeep, Bhumi98, Priya and Guests,**_ _thanks to all of you._

 _Dear Guest, I am sorry, your POV is not clear to me. Why do you think that Shreya loves Siddharth? Are you trying to say that a child is symbol of love? If so, that's so sweet of you, but it does not happen always. It should be, but it does not. I don't know what's your age, and I am not sure that it should be told or not, many children are born just because of the natural law, you know, the man and woman thing! Sometimes women are forced, sometimes they give birth just fulfilling their marital obligations, which is adjustment, not love! In all such cases, there is no place of love behind the birth of a child._

 _I am not going to describe Shreya and Siddharth's married life here. It is completely left on reader's imagination. But Shreya was never in love with Siddharth. I confirm it._

 _So readers, what do you think about Deepak? He is a positive/negative/gray character? What are they planning to do? You have to wait for later chapters to know._

 _Now please read and review._


	6. Chapter 6

Shreya reached hospital and enquired about Jyoti in reception.

Receptionist- ma'am, Jyoti ji bilkul thik hain. Unka discharge papers bhi ready hai, par Dr. Meera abhitaq aayi nehi! Unke sign ke bina hum patient ko discharge nehi de sakte! Aap ek kaam kijiye, tabtaq patient se jaake mil lijiye. Jaise hi woh aati hain, hum aapko inform karenge.

Shreya- ok, thanks!

She moved to Jyoti's cabin. Half-sat, half-laid on the bed, Jyoti was playing mobile-games, head resting on pillows. Seeing Shreya, she quickly got up into sitting position and welcomed her with a broad smile.

Jyoti- maa!

Shreya smiled too. She came near the bed, pulled her close and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Then quickly pulled away and said in an angry voice, " yeh sab kya hai Jyoti? Kitni baar main ne tumse kaha, ki aapna dhyan rakkha karo! Jab tumhe pahle se bukhar tha, toh kya zarurat thi dhoop mein ghar se nikalne ki? Agar kuch ho jata toh?"

Jyoti- baas maa! (pouting) abhi toh meri shadi bhi nehi hui, aur aap abhi se itna daant rahi hain!

Shreya was silent for a moment. Then she looked directly in her eyes, and said in a calm voice, "kyunki main tumhari Maa hoon! Agar mujhe sirf saas banna hota, toh main tumse kabhi kuch nehi kahti!"

Jyoti smiled, though her eyes were moist. She said in a wet tone, "jaanti hoon maa! Apni maa ka toh kabhi shakal taq nehi dekha! Maa kya hoti hai, maa ka pyaar kya hota hai, yeh toh aapse milne ke baad hi pata chala!

Shreya's face softened, but she said in a strict tone, " aur jo maa jitna pyaar karta ho, maa ke haq se, sirf wohi daant sakta hai!"

In reply, Jyoti reached out and hugged her tightly. With a smile, Shreya hugged back.

When they got separated, Shreya said with a serious face, "achha yeh toh batao, ki hua kya tha? Tum achanaq behosh kaise ho gayi? Woh bhi beech raste pe? Kitna bada accident ho sakta tha! Yeh toh achha hua ki.." and she stopped suddenly!

Jyoti noticed that, but pretended that she did not, said, "haan maa, yeh toh achha hua ki Daya uncle us waqt wahan se jaa rahe the, aur unhone mujhe dekh liya! Warna pata nehi… waise maa, Daya uncle aapke purane dost hain na?"

Shreya (bit uncomfortable)- haan… matlab nehi.. woh mere senior the, jab main CID Mumbai mein thi!

Jyoti- haan, matlab jaan-pahechan toh hai na pahle se? toh hum kabhi mile kyun nehi? Humare Mumbai aaye huye bhi kitne din ho gaye! Kabhi aapne unse contact kyun nehi kiya?

Shreya- ab Jyoti, tum toh janti ho ki mujhe zyada kisise milna-julna pasand nehi! Sirf Daya sir kyun, mere aur purane jaan-pahchanwale honge is shahar mein! Main ne toh kisi se bhi contact karne ki koshish nehi kee.

Jyoti paused for a moment, then said in a cheerful tone, "achha, ab toh contact ho gaya! Ab hum unse mil sakte hain na? us waqt toh main unka chehra bhi nehi dekh payi! Lekin jabse in logon ne mujhe unke bare mein bataya, main toh tabse soch rahi hoon, ki unko thanks kaise kahenge! … aap chup kyun hain maa? Boliye na, milwayenge na mujhe unse?

Shreya (trying to avoid the topic)- haan, thik hai, mil lenge.. filhaal ghar toh chalo! Aur haan, main ne tumhari landlady se baat kar lee hai, jabtaq tum puri tarah thik nehi ho jati, tum humare sath hi rahogi.

Jyoti- par..

Shreya- par-waar kuch nehi! Aise halat mein agar tum akeli rahogi, toh mujhe bohot tension ho jayega!

Jyoti (smiling)- ok!

Just then a nurse arrived and told Shreya that Dr. Meera was waiting for her.

Shreya- ok, toh main doctor se milkar aati hoon.

Half-an-hour later, all formalities were done, and Shreya left the hospital with Jyoti.

 _In Cab:-_

They were chatting casually, about all the girly staff. All of a sudden:

Jyoti- maa, aapko pata hai, wahan ke nurses kah rahi thi ki yeh Daya uncle na, ek zamane mein bade hi handsome the!

Shreya (without thinking)- ek zamane mein kyun? Woh toh aaj bhi kitne handsome hain!

Realizing her own words, she quickly turned her face, to hide the blush.

Jyoti bit her lips to suppress a smile, but said innocently, "haan, wohlog bhi yehi kah rahe the! Lakhon ladkiyan marti thi unpe! Aur, kitne bahadur officer the woh! Kitni baar apne desh ki suraksha ke liye, apni jaan ki bazi laga di unhone! Criminals to unke naam se hi kaanpne lagte the!

Shreya could not help but smile. "yeh sab tum mujhe bata rahi ho? Mujhse bahtar yeh kaun janta hai?"-she thought. She could not see her own expession, but Jyoti could clearly see the glow of pride on his face.

After some moments of silence, Jyoti asked softly, "aapko unke liye garv hai, hai na?"

Shreya (in trance)- haan, bohot garv hai mujhe. (then being alart) sirf mujhe kyun, pure police force ko, is desh ke har nagrik ko unke liye garv hona chahiye! Aur, mujhe toh is baat ka garv hai ki, mujhe unke sath, unke under kaam karne ko mila!

Jyoti- baas… itni si baat?

Shreya- matlab?

Jyoti (with a naughty smile)- nehi, matlab jis office mein unke jaise senior ho… aur aap nayi officer, young and beautiful, kafi romantic situation ban sakta hai, nehi?

Now it's getting on Shreya's nerves.

Shreya (scowled)- kya ho gaya hai tumlogon ko, haan? Respect naam ki koi cheez hai bhi ya nehi? Sharam nehi aati mujhse aise sawal poochte huye?

Jyoti did not expect such reaction, but she tried to cover up, "arre, toh kya hua? Aap hi toh kahti hain, ki bachhe jab bade ho jate hai, toh unse dost ki tarah pesh aani chahiye!"

Shreya (cutting her)- woh alag baat hai Jyoti! Us ka yeh matlab nehi, ki tum rishte ka maryada bhul jao!

Now Jyoti felt embarrassed and little hurt, too.

Jyoti- I am sorry maa! Main toh bas mazaq kar rahi thi, mujhe nehi pata tha ki aapko bura lag jayega. Par aise mazaq toh hum aksar karte rahte hain, aaj aap itna serious kyun ho gayi?

Shreya was silent. She could not tell Jyoti, why she was so annoyed! "tum nehi janti, sachhai ki bohot kareeb pohunch gayi thi tum!" she thought. The truth, she was hiding from everyone since 25 years.

Shreya- woh.. kuch nehi! Sorry, main kuch overreact kar rahi thi!

Rest of the journey was passed in silence.

 _Shreya's Apartment:-_

Shreya, Deepak and Jyoti were having dinner together. All three of them were in good mood, especially Shreya. Seems like she forgot about the unhappy event of morning.

Deepak- maa, woh guestroom ka AC mein kuch problem tha na? aapne thik karwa diya?

Shreya- nehi, abhitaq toh nehi! Kyun?

Deepak- nehi woh.. Jyoti ko taqleef hogi, isliye…

Shreya (smirk)- arre wah! Abhi se Jyoti ki itni fikar? Par tujhe chinta karne ki zarurat nehi hai beta, Jyoti mere sath, mere kamre mein soyegi!

Deepak- oh, ok!

Jyoti suppressed a smile. Shreya noticed and said, "aur haan, jabtaq tum dono ki shadi nehi ho jati, main koi mauka nehi denewali tum dono ko! Chahe tumhe aisa kyun na lage, ki main bohot buri maa aur buri saas hoon!

Both Deepak and Jyoti turned red and chorused, "kya maa, aap bhi!"

Shreya (laughing)- accha, mera ho gaya. Tum dono khao thik se. main bas abhi aayi.

She left. As soon as she was out of view, Deepak leaned in and whispered to Jyoti, "haan, kya batanewali thi tum?"

Jyoti- you were right, you know! Jab main Daya uncle ke bare mein baat kar rahi thi, Oh Deepak, you won't believe how she had blushed! Maa ko is tarah sharmate huye main ne aaj taq nehi dekha! (suddenly her face fell) par phir toh woh mujhse naraz ho gayi!

Deepak- arre, toh tumhe kya zarurat thi, aise direct poochne ki? Aajtaq unhone mujhe kuch nehi bataya, tumhe thodi batayengi!

But Jyoti, ab main ne decide kar liya! Aaj taq main ne aapni ma ka dard dekha! Unke akelapan, unki ansooyon ko dekha! Ab aur nehi! Main unko unke hisse ki woh sari khushiyan lauta dunga, jo woh deserve karti hain!

Jyoti- but.. Daya sir ke bare mein bhi toh pata karna hoga na? ke unke dil mein kya hai?

Deepak- haan, woh bhi pata kar lenge! Par mera dil kah raha hai ki, sab waisa hi hoga, jaisa hum ne socha hai!

Both stayed silent for some moments. Then she pressed his palm lightly, and asked, "so, what's our next plan?"

A/N- this chapter was not good, written in a hurry. There will be Dareya in next chapter. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers, for your support.


	7. Chapter 7

_Saturday night, at Daya's house:_

Daya fell asleep on couch, while reading a book. The ringing sound of his mobile startled him.

He checked the time and murmured, "itni raat ko kiska phone hai! Abhijeet se toh abhi thodi derr pahle baat hui thi!"

He looked at the phone screen, which was showing an unknown number. He frowned, but picked it up.

Daya- hello!

From other side- Hello, Daya uncle! Main Deepak bol raha hoon!

Daya- uh.. kaun Deepak?

Deepak- uncle, main Shreya Joshi ji ka beta! Us din aapse mila tha na, hospital mein!

Daya (now recognizing him)- arre, haan Deepak, bolo! Kaise ho tum?

Deepak- main thik hoon uncle! Aap kaise hain?

Daya- main bhi thik hoon. Batao, kaise phone kiya?

Deepak- uncle woh.. kaal aap free ho kya?

Daya- kaal? Haan, waise toh kaal Sunday hai… kyun?

Deepak- actually main aapko invite karne ke liye phone kiya! Kya kaal aap humare ghar lunch ke liye aa sakte hain? Us din bhi main ne kaha tha aapse.. please uncle, humara bohot mann hai aapse milne ka!

Daya could not answer at once. The first thing hit his mind was, Shreya! The person once he loved more than life itself. There was a time, when he could not even think of living without her. Between all stresses and worries, one glimpse of her, used to make his day. But then, everything changed!

He lost her. And he accepted it. Though he never forgot her, he did not think of meeting her again. But now, just the idea of seeing her again, made his heart beat faster.

At the very next moment, Abhijeet's words flashed in his mind.

"zaruri nehi hai ki hum humesha aapni dil ki sune!"

"jo paal beet gaya, use wapas nehi laya ja sakta!"

"tum dono ke liye bahtar yehi hoga, ki tum dubara kabhi na milo!"

Gritting teeth, he controlled his emotions, and said in a cold tone, "sorry Deepak, kaal toh main nehi aa sakta! Woh kya hai na, har weekend main aapni family ke sath spend karta hoon. Toh kaal bhi humara kuch plans hai! Aise kisi ko kuch bina bataye.. I hope you understand!"

Deepak was clearly disappointed, but said calmly, "ok uncle, koi baat nehi! Hum sab ka, khas kar Jyoti ka bohot mann tha aapse milne ka… but it's ok! Hum phir kabhi..

Daya- yeah, sure! Waise Jyoti kaisi hai ab?

Deepak- woh ab pahle se kafi bahtar hai! In fact woh toh kah rahi thi ki kaal aapke liye khana bhi woh khud banayegi!

Daya felt a bit bad, but did not say anything. He just asked reluctantly, "aur, tumhari maa?"

Deepak- maa bhi bilkul thik hain. Waise, you know, she was right! Mujhe aapko aur pahle call karna chahiye tha!

Daya (confused)- matlab? Main samjha nehi!

Deepak- actually maa ne bohot pahle hi mujhse kaha aapko phone karne ke liye! Woh kah rahi thi ki aapko koi aur kaam ho sakta hai! Par main ne hi derr kar di!

Daya (sat up in a jerk)- Shreya… Shreya ne kaha mujhe invite karne ke liye?

Deepak- haan, kyun? Maa bhi toh aapse milna chahti hain!

Daya (did not know what to say)- achha.. toh usne phone kyun nehi kiya?

Deepak- woh thodi busy hain, office ka kaam, yahan Jyoti ki tabiyat ko leke tension, isliye.. Par kyun uncle? Matlab, agar aap chahte hain ki maa aapko formally invite kare, toh…

Daya (embarrassed)- arre nehi beta, aisi koi baat nehi hai! Main ne bas aise hi… (controlling his emotions) par beta, kal toh possible nehi hoga mere liye! I am sorry.

Deepak- arre nehi uncle, it's ok! Achha uncle, good night.

Daya- good night beta!

Call cut from both ends.

With a deep sigh, Daya got back to sleep. Though he was not sure he could be able to sleep or not.

 _Shreya's Apartment:_

After disconnecting the call, Deepak looked at Jyoti, and gave her a smile.

Jyoti (frowning)- ab? Unhone toh aane se mana kar diya!

Deepak (confident tone)- lekin mujhe pura yakeen hai, ki woh zarur aayenge!

 _Daya's house:_

Next morning, Daya woke up with a heavy heart. He had spent an almost sleepless night. His heart was willing to go and see Shreya for once, while his brain was stopping him continuously. After a lot of fight between heart and brain, he finally decided to follow his heart.

"main Shreya se milne nehi jaa raha hoon! Usse zyada baat karne ki bhi zarurat nehi hai! Bas who bachhe mujhse milna chahte hain, isliye jaa raha hoon. Kya burai hai is mein?" he tried to convince himself.

He picked up the mobile and dialed Deepak's number.

Deepak- hello!

Daya- hello Deepak! Good morning!

Deepak- good morning uncle! Aap itni subah-subah?

Daya- haan woh… ek baat karni thi!

Deepak- haan, boliye na!

Daya- um… actually, aaj mere paas thoda free time hai! Toh main ne socha ki… agar tumlogon ko problem na ho toh, aaj main tumhare ghar aa sakta hoon!

Deepak- arre, kya baat kar rahe hain uncle! Humein kaisa problem? Hum toh kabse betaab hain aapse milne ke liye! Lekin uncle, aapko toh aapni family ke sath waqt beetana tha, aur kuch plans bhi the…

Daya- it's ok, main manage kar lunga!

Deepak- ok uncle! Achha, agar ho sake toh thoda jaldi aana please! Woh kya hai na, phir humein thodi derr baithke baat karne ka mauka milega!

Daya (smiling)- haan, thik hai. Main jaldi aane ki koshish karunga!

Deepak (smiling)- ok. Bye uncle

Daya- bye beta.

Call cut from both ends.

Daya was about to place the mobile back on table, but suddenly remember that he had to inform Abhijeet and Tarika also.

Daya- Abhi ko phone karoon? Nehi, use agar pata chalega toh woh naraz ho jayega. Mujhe wahan jane se rokhega. Phir use samjhane mein bohot waqt lag jayega! Main Tarika ko bata deta hoon.

And he dialed Tarika's number.

Daya- haan, Tarika? Ek baat karni thi… actually main aaj lunch ke liye nehi aa paunga!

Tarika- kyun, kya hua? Tabiyat toh thik hai na?

Daya- haan haan, Tabiyat bilkul thik hai! Aaj mujhe kahin aur jana hai.

Tarika- arre, aise achanaq kahan jana hai? Kya baat hai Daya? Kahin tum is baat se toh nehi darr rahe ho ki kal Tanisha ne kaha hai ki aaj woh khud, aapne hatho se hum sab ke liye biriyani bananewali hai? (laughing) tum chinta mat karo! Main tumhare liye khane layek kuch bana dungi!

Daya (laughing)- arre aisi baat nehi hai Tarika! Aur waise bhi, humari gudia rani ke hath se toh main zahar bhi kha loon! Mera aaj ek invitation hai, ek bohot purane dost ke ghar! Use avoid nehi kar sakta, toh…

Tarika- achha! Waise kaun hai yeh dost? Main jaanti hoon kya?

Daya (not willing to let her know)- haan… matlab nehi, woh… achha, main dinner ke liye ghar aaunga na, tab baatein karenge! Abhi mujhe derr ho rahi hai!

Before she could say anything, he cut the call.

 _Abhijeet's home:_

Tarika- arre, yeh Daya ko achanaq kya ho gaya? Aise ajeeb sa behave kyun kar raha tha?

Abhijeet- kyun, kya hua? Kya kaha usne?

Tarika- kah raha tha ki aaj woh nehi aa payega, use kahin aur jana hai!

Abhijeet- achha! Par har weekend toh woh humare sath hi spend karta hai!

Tarika- wohi toh! Kah raha tha ki kisi purane dost ke ghar invitation hai, mana nehi kar sakta! Main poochne ki koshish bhi kee, ki kaun hai yeh dost, lekin usne baat ko taal diya! Waise kaun hai yeh dost? Tumko kuch maloom hai kya? Nehi matlab, tum dono ke toh lagbhag sabhi dost common hain, aur main sab ko jaanti hoon!

Abhijeet- nehi, mujhe toh kuch nehi pata! Aur kaal raat ko jab usse baat hui, tab bhi kuch nehi bataya! Kamal hai!

Suddenly one name struck both their minds at the same moment.

Tarika- Shreya!

Abhijeet looked at her, but stayed silent.

Tarika- Abhijeet, kahin woh Shreya se milne toh nehi jaa raha hai?

Abhijeet (cold tone)- ho sakta hai! Mujhe kya pata!

Tarika- arre toh pata karo na! agar aisa hai toh use rokhna hoga!

Abhijeet- kyun? Woh koi bachha hai kya? Ki woh kahan jayega, kisse milega sab kuch humlog hi tay karenge?

Tarika- kaisi baatein kar rahe ho Abhijeet? Daya tumhara best friend hai! Aapna bhai maante ho na use? Agar woh kuch galat karne jaa raha hai, toh use rokhna tumhara farz banta hai!

Abhijeet- best friend hai iska matlab yeh nehi ki har kaam woh mujhse poochkar kare! Aur, agar woh Shreya se milna chahta hai, toh galat kya hai is mein?

Tarika- Abhijeet please! Already is bare mein kafi discussion ho chuka hai! Tum achhi tarah jaante ho ki main kyun aisa kah rahi hoon. Aur meri chodo, tum ne toh khud use samjhaya tha, ki un dono ke liye yehi sahi hoga, ki woh ab kabhi na mile!

Abhijeet- haan, kaha tha! Phir bhi agar usne Shreya se milna chahta hai, toh yeh uska apna faisla hai. Aur tum kya chahti ho? Ki main use zabardasti yahan le aaun, aur kamre mein bandh karke rakhoon, ta ki woh Shreya ke paas na ja sake? Come on Tarika! You are overreacting!

Saying that, he turned to leave. But Tarika said from behind, "main overreact kar rahi hoon, ya tum isliye Daya se baat nehi kar rahe ho, ki tum bhi yehi chahte ho ki woh dono ek dusre se mile? Agar aisa hai, toh yeh thik nehi ho raha hai Abhijeet!"

Abhijeet did not reply, and left the room silently.

A/N- sorry friends, could not include Dareya in this chapter. But I promise to include them in next one. Next chapter will be updated in 1-2 days.

One thing I should make clear, I am not portraying Tarika as a negative character. She is right in her own place. She is not against Daya-Shreya's relationship. She is a well-wisher of Daya and just thinking like mostly common people think.


	8. Chapter 8

_Shreya's Apartment:_

After talking to Daya, Deepak went running to his mother's room, calling out, "maa! Maa! Jyoti!"

Both Shreya and Jyoti looked at him, astonished.

Shreya- kya hua Deepak? Kyun chilla rahe ho?

Deepak- maa aapko pata hai, abhi kiska phone aaya tha?

Shreya- nehi, kiska?

Deepak- Daya uncle ka! Aur unhone kaha, ki woh aaj lunch ke liye humare ghar aa rahe hain!

Shreya's face lit up immediately hearing that, though she tried to hide it. Before she could say anything, Jyoti exclaimed, "really? That's great news! Par kal toh unhone mana kar diya!

Deepak- haan, lekin abhi toh unhone samne se mujhe phone kiya! Aur kaha ki aaj unke paas time hai, toh woh aa jayenge. Waise maa, main ne unhe thoda jaldi aane ke liye kaha!

Shreya (faint smile)- achha kiya!

Jyoti- maa, phir toh jald se jald khane ki taiyari karni hogi! Main kitchen mein jaa rahi hoon. Waise, kya banau unke liye? Unko khane mein kya pasand hai, yeh toh humein pata hi nehi!

Shreya smiled on her excitement, and said without even thinking, "paneer makhani. Unka favorite dish hai!"

Jyoti- achha! Par woh toh mujhe nehi aata!

Shreya- koi baat nehi, main bana dungi! Tum rajma toh bana sakti ho na?

Jyoti- haan!

Shreya- phir tum wohi bana lo! woh bhi unko bohot pasand hai.

Jyoti- ok maa!

Deepak- aur maa, sweet dish?

Shreya- main kheer bana leti hoon. Aur ek kaam karo, gulab jamoon mangwa lo. Mithe mein yehi unko sabse achha lagta hai!

Deepak- ok!

All three of them got busy in their respective works.

It's almost 10a.m. Shreya was alone in the kitchen. Jyoti was there a few moments ago, helping her, but now she was in hall, talking to Deepak. Shreya felt relieved when she left her alone.

It's getting difficult for her. To look indifferent. To behave normally, as if they are preparing just for a guest! To hide her feelings from the people, who are not only her children, but her closest friends, too!

The sound of doorbell made her heart jump! Her hands stopped automatically, and suddenly her throat was so dry that she feared that could not speak anymore. Yes, it's him! No need to see, her every sense was telling her that it's him!

She heard her son's voice, welcoming him, and thanking him heartily for coming. Jyoti also was saying something, but… but she did not want to hear those! She wanted to hear his voice, to feel his presence, to see him, but… How? It felt like her body-parts were no longer in her control.

Jyoti called out, "Maa! Kahan ho aap? Dekhiye kaun aaya hai!"

With all her will-power, Shreya controlled herself, and answered, "haan, aa rahi hoon!"

She poured a glass of water, and after finishing that, slowly entered in the hall, masking herself with a fixed smile.

Daya stood up seeing her, so did Deepak and Jyoti. Their eyes met. Unknowingly, a warm, bright smile appeared on Daya's face. With that, Shreya's fixed smile was changed into a real, shy yet sweet smile, though she felt her eyelids were getting moist.

To hide that, Shreya was the first to break the eye-lock, and greeted him with a soft "hello sir!"

Daya- hi Shreya!

Then both of them were silent, finding nothing else to say.

The awkward silence was broken by Jyoti, "uncle, aap baithiye na! main aapke liye paani lekar aati hoon."

Shreya checked the time and suddenly said, "Jyoti beta, 10 baj rahe hai. Inko is waqt green tea peene ki adat hai! Tum bana dogi, please?"

Daya looked at her, bewildered. Shreya, without looking at him, instructed Jyoti, "aur haan, fridge mein nimboo rakha hai, nikal lena!"

Jyoti- ok maa! Main abhi bana deti hoon.

She left for the kitchen.

Daya- Shreya, iski kya zarurat thi? Main chai peeke aaya hoon ghar se!

Shreya (smile)- koi baat nehi sir. Jyoti ko achha lagta hai yeh sab karna!

Daya- aur tumhe karwana!

Shreya- jee?

Daya (smirk)- nehi, honewali saas ko aksar bahu se kaam karwana achha lagta hai, ismein kaunsi badi baat hai!

Shreya (embarrassed)- kya sir, aap bhi!

Daya laughed, Deepak also joined. Shreya frowned at him, but could not help but smile.

Suddenly Daya remembered something, and said to Deepak, "oh, main toh bhul hi gaya tha! Deepak beta, yeh lo!"

He handed Deepak a packet.

Deepak- yeh kya hai uncle?

Daya- yeh… black forest pastries hai. (eyeing Shreya) waise tumhari aur Jyoti ki pasand ka toh mujhe pata nehi, lekin tumhari maa ko yeh bohot pasand tha! Socha pahli baar tumhare ghar aa raha hoon, toh…

Deepak (smile)- nehi uncle, maa ka toh yeh favorite hai hi, hum dono ko bhi bohot pasand hai. Par uncle, iski kya zarurat thi?

Daya did not answer, just smiled. Deepak said, "waise, kitni ajeeb baat hai na? maa aur aap, aap dono kitne saalon se ek dusre ke contact mein nehi rahe, phir bhi aap dono ko ek dusre ki sari adatein, pasand, na-pasand, sab pata hai!"

Daya and Shreya looked at each other, adoration in eyes. And this time, they shared the eye-lock for a long time.

Soon Jyoti entered with tea. Daya asked her about her health, she thanked him for helping her that day, and a casual conversation was started.

Shreya was not talking much, but she was comfortable now, in this atmosphere. Daya was talking mostly with Deepak and Jyoti, and was not paying much attention to her, but she was ok with that. In fact, it made her feel relaxed.

After so many years, she got an opportunity to stay near him, to have him in front of her eyes for so long! That's enough for her.

But she was the first to notice the time, and said, "sir, 12 baaj chuke hai! Chaliye, lunch kar lijiye, phir baithke baatein karenge!"

Deepak- haan uncle, chaliye!

Jyoti- chaliye maa, main serve kar deti hoon.

Shreya- nehi beta, tum baitho, main karti hoon! Warna, (eyeing Daya) kuch logonko lagega ki main sara kaam aapni bahu se hi karwati hoon!

Jyoti looked at her, confused. Daya and Deepak suppressed a smile.

At dining table, Daya was surprised to see all his favorite dishes there. He looked at Shreya, but she was avoiding eye-contact.

Jyoti served him rajma and said with a proud smile, "uncle yeh main ne banaya, aapke liye!"

Daya (smile)- achha!

But after taking a bite of rajma with rice, his expression changed.

Jyoti- kya hua uncle? Aapko achha nehi laga?

Daya- nehi beta… achha hai, bas…

And he took a sip of water.

Deepak- bas naamak thoda zyada ho gaya! Actually thoda nehi, bohot zyada hai! Kya Jyoti, ek kaam tum thik se nehi kar sakti?

Shreya- arre Deepak, aise kyun bol rahe ho? Bachhi hai, ho jati hai galati kabhi kabhi! Usne jaan-bujhke toh nehi kiya na aisa! Sikh jayegi dheere dheere!

Daya- haan! Aur beta, is mein naamak thoda zyada hai toh kya hua, tera yeh paneer makhani toh bohot testy hai.

And he took a big bite of paneer makhani.

Jyoti- woh main ne nehi, maa ne banaya. Main ne bas yeh rajma hi… sorry maa! Sorry uncle!

Shreya was about to say something, but Daya stopped her.

Daya- arre beta, aise nehi bolte! Aur tujhe pata hai, khane mein asli swad yeh naamak, mirch, masala wagera se nehi aata! Woh to khana bananewale ke pyaar se aata hai! Aur tu ne yeh rajme, itne pyaar se mere liye jo banaya hai na, toh mere liye yeh puri duniya mein best hai!

And he finished his entire bowl of rajma without complaining. Shreya watched him with admiration.

Neither of them noticed those naughty yet sweet glances exchanged between the other couple.

Daya- waise Shreya, yeh kheer bhi tumhare hath ka hai, hai na?

Shreya- haan sir, kyun? Accha nehi hai?

Daya- nehi!

Then added with a smile, "achha nehi, bohot achha hai! Thoda aur milega?"

Smiling, Shreya filled his bowl again.

After lunch, Jyoti excused herself saying that she needed a nap. The three of them were chatting, when Deepak got a phone call and moved to balcony to talk, as there was some problem of signal in room. Now only Daya and Shreya were left there, alone.

After brief silence, Daya asked in low voice, "tumhe abhi bhi sab yaad hai?"

Shreya- hmm?

Daya- yehi, meri adatein, pasand, na-pasand…

Shreya- haan, kyun? Mujhe kya bhulne ki adat hai?

Daya- achha, toh tum kabhi kuch nehi bhulti?

"bhulti hoon na sir! Jab aap samne ho, toh puri duniya bhul jati hoon." She thought. But could not tell him. She knew she should not. So she decided to stay silent.

Daya- seriously Shreya, tumne kaise kiya yeh sab? I mean, insaan ki adatein, pasand, yeh sab toh badalta bhi hai! Tumhe kaise pata chala ki…

Shreya- aisi koi baat nehi hai sir! Generally, ek umar ke baad insaan ki adatein, aur khane-peene ka pasand zyada badalta nehi hai! (pause) aur agar badal jay, toh woh insaan hi badal jata hai sir! Lekin aap kahan badle?

Daya could not answer. Was that true? Did nothing change? If he was still the same, Shreya was still the same, then what was changed between them? Why they were so far from each other?

Deepak entered the room and said, "arre, aap dono aise chupchap kyun baithe ho?"

Daya looked at him with a sarcastic smile. Yes, everything was changed. She was the same Shreya, but not 'his' Shreya anymore!

Daya- kuch nehi beta! Mujhe ab jana hoga! Kuch zaruri kaam hai.

Deepak- itni jaldi? Thodi derr aur rukhiye na!

Daya (smile)- aaj nehi beta, phir kabhi! Waise, bohot achha laga tumlogon se milke!

Deepak- humein bhi bohot achha laga uncle! Thank you so much for coming! Aap phir aayenge na?

Daya just smiled and patted his shoulder. Then he turned to Shreya and said, "chalta hoon Shreya!"

She stared at him for a moment, and nodded.

While leaving, Daya could not deny the fact that he was happy. He felt real good after a long time. And no matter how hard he tried to swear that it was first and last time, he would never come here again, his heart was not convinced.

A/N- Thank s to the readers and reviewers for your continued support. Not giving any precap, people are too smart here, they can easily guess all my intentions.

Please read and review.


	9. Chapter 9

_Daya's house:_

Sitting in living-room, Daya was working with his laptop. To speak correctly, he was trying to work! He was trying hard to concentrate, but was not able to do so. His mind was getting diverted repeatedly.

4 months passed after his first visit at Shreya's place. He came back from there, swearing that he would never go there again. But that one promise, he could not keep.

That day, when he went to Abhijeet's home, he had a confrontation with Tarika. Daya wondered how, but she knew where he was! She had lot of questions, most of which he somehow escaped from, and convinced her that it was just a friendly visit, and he was there just for the kids, not for Shreya. Though Tarika did not drag the matter, Daya had doubt that believed him or not!

But he was astonished with his best friend's behavior. Abhijeet did not ask him anything. Not a single question! He spoke to him quite normally, like he always did, as if nothing had happened! Though it was a relief for Daya, as he knew that he would not be able to hide anything from Abhijeet, but at the same time, he was little hurt. For a second, he felt like Abhijeet was trying to keep a distance, or he was not concerned anymore! But it was just for a second, and he paid no heed to that thought.

He wanted to tell him everything. Since so many years of their friendship, there was nothing, which he did not share with his buddy. But about this matter, Daya found it awkward to tell without asking. So he preferred to stay silent.

But he could not stay away from Shreya and her family. Truth to be spoken, Deepak and Jyoti did not let him. They often called him, invited him, and Daya could not avoid them. Especially Deepak, as he was in Police Academy, often asked for his guidance, and Daya was happy to help him.

In last 4 months, Daya's visited Shreya's place several time, and indeed it was not just because of Shreya, but the kids, too. He formed an attachment with Deepak and Jyoti. He liked their company. They also visited Daya's house 2-3 times. But Shreya… she came only once. And, she stayed at night.

She was not alone. Jyoti was with her. And nothing happened that night, which either of them could regret. Daya was sick, and Shreya was there to look after him.

FLASHBACK:

Deepak was trying to call Daya, but he was not receiving the call.

Jyoti- Kya hua Deepak? Abhi bhi unhone phone nehi uthaya?

Deepak- nehi Jyoti! Kuch samajh nehi aa raha! Daya uncle toh kabhi aisa nehi karte!

Jyoti- ho sakta hai woh kahin bahar gaye ho, aur phone ghar pe hi bhul gaye!

Deepak- ho sakta hai, lekin… main kafi derr se call kar raha hoon, agar bahar gaye bhi hote toh abtaq aa jana chahiye tha!

He dialed the number again, and this time Daya received it.

Daya (in a tired voice)- haan Deepak, bolo!

Deepak- hello uncle! Kya hua, aap itni derr se phone nehi utha rahe the! Sab thik toh hai na?

Daya- haan beta, sab thik hai. Main woh… so gaya tha thodi derr ke liye, isliye…

Deepak- so gaye the… is waqt? Uncle, aapki tabiyat thik nehi hai kya?

Shreya, who was busy with some file-works, or at least trying to show that she was, looked up immediately hearing this.

Daya- arre nehi beta, aisi koi baat nehi hai. Bas zara si aankh lag gayi thi, isliye… tum batao, phone kaise kiya?

Deepak- haan woh, mujhe kuch kaam tha aapse, par… achha uncle, main baad mein baat karta hoon aapse.

Before Daya could say anything, he cut the call.

Jyoti- kya hua?

Deepak- mujhe lagta hai unki tabiyat thik nehi hai! Warna sham ko 6 baje koi sota hai bhala! Unki awaaz bhi kuch thik neha laga mujhe. I think, mujhe ek baar jaake dekhna chahiye! Kyun maa?

Shreya, who said nothing till now, nodded hesitantly.

Jyoti- chalo, main tumhare sath chalti hoon.

Deepak- haan, chalo!

Before they turned to leave, Shreya stood up suddenly, and said, "Deepak, Jyoti, rukho! Main bhi tumhare sath aa rahi hoon!"

All three of them reached to Daya's house. Daya was surprised to see them.

Daya- arre, tumlog yahan?

Deepak- haan, phone pe aapki awaaj se hi laga ki aapki tabiyat thik nehi hai! Isliye aa gaye dekhne!

Daya (smiling)- kya tumlog bhi! Aao, andar aao!

No matter how hard he was trying to act normal, anyone could tell that he was sick. His flushed face, tired, red eyes, dried, cracked lips, everything was clearly indicating his illness.

Daya- tumlog baitho, main paani lekar aata hoon.

Deepak was about to say something, but he was cut by Shreya, "hum yahan mehman-nawazi karane nehi aaye sir! So, formalities ki koi zarurat nehi hai.

She sounded almost rude. Daya looked at her, surprised. But as soon as his gaze fell in her eyes, he understood. She was worried. She was afraid. And a bit angry, too.

Shreya, without giving him a chance to say anything, took a step forward and touched his forehead. And winced.

Shreya- itni tez bukhar hai aapko, aur aap aise behave kar rahe hain, jaise kuch nehi hua? Aapne aapko kya superman samajhte hai? Doctor ko dikhya?

Daya- Shreya, mamuli sa bukhar hai, aapne aap utar jayega! Main ne medicine lee hai!

Shreya (glaring)- toh ab aap doctor bhi ban gaye?

Daya (bit embarrassed)- nehi, woh actually, Dr. Rajiv abhi available nehi hain! Kisi medical conference attend karne Canada gaye, toh…

Shreya- toh? Pure Mumbai shahar mein woh kya eklaute doctor hain? Mana ki woh bohot achhe doctor hain, aur aapke purane dost bhi hain, lekin iska matlab yeh toh nehi, ki emergency mein bhi aap kisi aur ko nehi dikhayenge? (to Deepak) Deepak, zara Dr. Mishra ko phone lagana!

Daya was about to protest, but an angry glare from Shreya shut him up immediately.

Shreya- thermometer kahan hai?

Daya- woh toh… kamre mein rakha hoga!

Shreya- thik hai, chaliye kamre mein! (then remembering something) waise, aap ne Abhijeet sir ko bhi nehi bataya?

Daya- nehi woh… actually…

Shreya shook her head in disbelief, and said, "number dijiye unka! Main call karti hoon."

Daya- nehi Shreya, use call mat karo! (pause) actually, wohlog bhi Mumbai mein nehi hain! Woh, Tarika ki cousin hai na, Anjali, tum toh janti ho use, (Shreya did not remember, but said nothing) uski beti Shweta ki shadi hai aaj, toh wahan gaye. Waise, invitation toh mera bhi tha, wohlog bohot insist bhi kar rahe the sath chalne ke liye, par main ne kisi tarah taal diya!

Shreya- isiliye na, ki aapko thik nehi lag raha tha?

Daya (low tone)- kya karta! Kitne dino baad toh Abhijeet ko aapni puri family ke sath bahar jaane ka mauka mila, woh bhi kisi ki shadi mein! Ab use agar pata chalta ki main bimaar hoon, toh jana cancel kar deta! Aur abhi bhi agar bata doon, toh sab kuch chodke bhagta hua chala aayega! Main aisa nehi chahta Shreya! Tarika aur bachhon ke bare mein bhi toh socho!

Shreya stared at him for some time, then said in a calm voice, "lekin baad mein jab unko pata chalega, toh woh bohot naraz honge!"

Daya (smiled a bit)- haan, pata hai! Par koi baat nehi! Baad mein, main use mana lunga!

After brief silence, Shreya said even more calmly, "phir bhi, aapko unse chupana nehi chahiye tha! Aur, aapke bina unki family, puri kahan se hoti hai? Mujhe yakeen hai, aapke bina toh unka, wahan bhi mann nehi lag raha hoga!"

Before Daya could reply, she said, "kamre mein chaliye. Deepak, Jyoti, tum dono bhi aao."

Deepak and Jyoti, who were silently witnessing everything, just nodded and followed them.

Shreya- Deepak, doctor ko phone kiya?

Deepak- haan maa, doctor bas aate hi honge!

Soon Dr. Mishra arrived, and after checking Daya, he declared that it's just a viral fever, nothing serious. But as he was running a high fever, proper care and rest was needed. He prescribed some medicines, which Deepak brought from the nearby medical store.

Daya- Shreya, 9 baj chuke hai! Mere khyaal se, ab tumlogon ko ghar jana chahiye.

He did not know why he said that. He actually wanted to thank them for everything. But, for some unknown reason, he just could not!

Jyoti- par uncle, aapko aise akele chodke, hum kaise jaa sakte hai!

Deepak- haan! Kisi ko toh aaj aapke paas rukhna hi hoga! Maa, main aaj yahan rukhta hoon, aap Jyoti ko lekar ghar jaiye.

Daya- arre nehi Deepak beta! Tumko kal subah 6 baje Police Academy pohunchna hai na? yahan se kafi dur hai, kaise jaoge tum? Aur aaj agar neend puri nehi hui, toh kal thik se class bhi nehi kar paoge!

Deepak (hesitating)- haan, woh bhi hai, par…

Jyoti- toh maa, main yahan rukh jaun?

Daya- kya bachhon jaisi baatein kar rahi ho Jyoti!

Shreya- aur kya! Tum yahan akeli kaise rukh sakti ho?

Jyoti was about to say smething, but Deepak interrupted, "toh ab kya karein maa?"

Shreya (after brief silence)- Deepak, tum ghar jao. Main aur Jyoti yahan rukhte hain.

She said that in such a firm tone, that no room for argument was left. She knew that Daya was staring at her, bewildered, but she did not look at him to see his expression.

No doubt Daya was astonished. He did not expect this. But he could not deny the feel of extreme happiness in deep down his mind. His heartbeat was suddenly faster. "it must be because of fever"-he tried to tell himself.

Neither of them noticed the glow on the faces of Deepak and Jyoti. They exchanged glances, then Deepak said innocently, "ok maa."

Shreya- Jyoti ki landlady ko phone kar dena. Aur haan, fridge mein khichdi aur kadi hai, garam kar lena.

Deepak- thik hai maa, main dekh lunga. Aap chinta mat kijiye.

And he left after bidding goodbye to everyone.

Shreya- Jyoti, tum yahan baitho, main abhi aati hoon.

She left, and returned after sometime with a food-tray, containing some toasts and a bowl of soup.

Shreya- sir, uthiye, khana kha lijiye!

Daya- abhi rahne do Shreya, mera khane ka mann nehi hai!

Shreya (soft tone)- jitna ho sake, kha lijiye sir! Phir medicine bhi toh leni hai na!

Daya did not argue, and started to eat. But before taking the first bite, he remembered something, and stopped.

Shreya- kya hua?

Daya- woh… tum dono ka dinner?

Shreya- oh, aap uski fikar mat kijiye! Aap kha lijiye, baad mein main hum dono ke liye kuch bana lungi.

Daya- Jyoti beta, ek kaam karo, phone karke bahar se kuch mangwa lo. Bill mere credit card se…

Shreya- achha thik hai, dekha jayega! Philhal toh aap kha lijiye!

Daya started to eat, but could not finish the food served to him. Shreya understood and did not force him anymore.

She gave him water and medicines, and said softly, "abhi aap so jaiye sir! Raat kafi ho chuki hai."

Daya was feeling really tired, so he just obeyed.

He did not have a sound sleep that night. In a state of half-asleep half-awake, he could feel her presence. Several times, he felt soft hands touching his forehead, cheeks, neck to check the temperature. He could feel those hands, placing wet handkerchief on his forehead. Whenever he was thirsty, he felt those hands putting spoonful of water into his dried mouth. He knew, even with closed eyes, that two big, beautiful eyes were staring at his face.

That night remained as one of fondest memories of Daya. The next day, he was much better. So he insisted them to leave, with a promise that he would take rest, and won't forget medicines. After they left, he found that there was enough cooked food in fridge to live next 2-3 days. Though he did not understand when or how Shreya did this, but his heart was filled with a strange feeling of warmth and love.

FLASHBACK ENDS.

After that day, Deepak and Jyoti called him several times, and came to his house to check on his health condition. Shreya did not call, but he got a message from her everyday, which was to remind him about his medicines. Lucking, he got absolutely fine before Abhijeet's return.

When Abhijeet came to know about his illness, he was furious. He did not speak to Daya for 2 days, longest time period, since their friendship! And when he spoke, Daya got a good scolding, though he did not mind as he knew it was coming.

But, still they did not talk about Shreya. Daya just told that Shreya came to visit, Abhijeet just listened. Chapter closed!

But the thought which completely engrossed Daya's mind, was a fear. And it was related to that night!

No matter how much Daya cherished the memory, he was really worried. Not because of him, but because of Shreya. The fear, which was eating him up, was, "what will Deepak and Jyoti think?"

What if they thought anything wrong about his and Shreya's relation? What if they misunderstood Shreya? No, Daya could not let that happen. Shreya struggled a lot in her life, she lost many things. The only thing she was left with, was the love and respect of Deepak and Jyoti. Daya would not let her lose that.

But there was no sign in Deepak or Jyoti's behavior that they had any doubt in mind, about him or Shreya. Still, Daya was not able to let his fear go. Nor he could tell Shreya anything about this, as it would be very awkward. But the worry, the fear was growing day by day. After the incident of last week, it was even more deep-rooted.

A/N- what happened last week? Continue reading to know.

Thanks to all my readers and reviewers for your support.

Dear dareya, you suggested to change the name 'Deepak' to 'Harshit/Dansh'. That's really sweet of you (though I did not understand why Harshit), but the name 'Deepak' is selected for some reason. It will be revealed in later chapter. So sorry, it is not possible to change now. Hope u understand.

Dear Aftab, how can I review my own story? I guess u mean 'update', right? Ok, it's here for you.

Please read and review.


	10. Chapter 10

"I should not have done that!"- He screamed in mind.

"Deepak bohot achha ladka hai, meri izzat karta hai, isliye kuch kaha nehi mujhse! Lekin agar woh yeh poochta, ki aapko kyun itni chinta ho rahi hai, aap kis haq se yeh sab kah rahe hain, toh kya jawab deta main?"

FLASHBACK:

Daya pressed the door-bell of Shreya's apartment, but due to power-cut, it did not ring.

Hesitating a little, he pushed the door, and it was open. So he entered.

The hall was dark, and no one was there. Daya stood there for a few seconds, not sure what to do, then he noticed that the kitchen light was on. So he moved there.

Shreya was there, in the kitchen, standing on a chair, trying to reach the loft. The chair was in such position, that anyone could tell that she would fall in any moment. Standing at doorstep, Daya was shocked to see her like this!

Daya- Shreya!

Startled, Shreya turned quickly, and then, a number of incidents followed in fraction of a second.

1st, the chair slipped beneath her feet, and she was about to fall.

2nd, before she would fall, Daya ran, and caught her by waist.

3rd, in reflex action, she threw her arms around his neck, and hugged tightly.

Next moment, both of them noticed that he was holding her close to his chest, one arm under her knees, the other embracing her waist. Her arms were around his neck and she leaned on the broad chest.

No eye-lock followed. Both were extremely embarrassed noticing the situation. Moreover, a painful sensation in back, reminded Daya, that he was no bollywood hero, nor in his young age anymore! Carrying someone in bridal style, for a long time, was really difficult now, no matter how special she was to him!

He put her down carefully, and helped her to stand properly.

Daya (anxiously)- tum thik toh ho na?

Shreya (not looking at him directly)- uh… haan sir, main thik hoon!

Daya – par tum kar kya rahi thi?

Shreya- main woh… main kuch dhoond rahi thi…

Daya- is tarah? Shreya, Aapne aapko kya tum Jyoti ke umar ki samajhti ho? Abhi pichle hafte bathroom mein gir gayi thi tum, pair ka chot abhitaq puri tarah thik nehi hua! Aur aaj…

Shreya- sir, mujhe kuch nehi hua! Main toh bas…

Daya- kya? Kuch ho jane ka intezaar kar rahi thi kya? Aur yeh sab kaam tumhe karne ki kya zarurat hai? Jyoti aur Deepak kahan hain?

Shreya- Jyoti ghar pe nehi hai sir! Aur Deepak aapne kamre mein hi hai, par…

Before she could complete the sentence, Daya moved out from the kitchen, calling Deepak.

Deepak came almost running, and he was surprised to see Daya.

Deepak- Daya uncle! Aap kab aaye?

Daya- bas abhi abhi! Yeh batao, tum kahan the?

Deepak- main toh aapne kamre mein hi tha uncle. Yeh, (showing his new smartphone) itne sare apps, games aur musics hain is mein ki, iske sath toh time kahan se nikal jati hai, pata hi nehi chalta!

Daya (clearly irritated)- yeh hi toh problem hai is generation ki! Yeh smartphone, internet, social networking site, bas in sab mein hi aapni duniya basa lee tumlogon ne! aare, iske bahar bhi ek duniya hai, is virtual world ke bahar, tumhare aas-paas real log bhi rahte hain, woh yaad bhi hai ya nehi? Pata hai, Shreya ka aaj ek accident ho jata! (for the first time, he mentioned her as Shreya, instead of 'tumhari maa', to Deepak. He did not notice that, but Deepak did) pair mein chot hai iske, phir bhi chair par khadi hoke loft se kuch nikal rahi thi! Woh toh achha hua ki main aa gaya, (he stopped for a second) warna aaj agar gir jati toh fracture hona sure tha!

Deepak (shocked)- Kya! (to Shreya) maa, aap thik toh hain na?

Shreya assured him with a smile, but that irritated Daya even more.

Daya- ab poochne ka kya faida? Mujhe toh yeh samajh mein nehi aa raha ki, ise yeh sab karne ki kya zarurat hai? Tum madat nehi kar sakte the? Itna bhi dhyaan nehi rakha jata tumse?

Deepak- nehi uncle, aisi baat nehi hai! Mujhe toh pata hi nehi tha ki maa…

Daya- pata hoga bhi kaise? Mujhe safai dene ki zarurat nehi hai Deepak! Tum khud socho ki tum kya kar rahe the! Tumhare aas-paas kise kya ho raha hai, usse tumhe koi farq padta hai kya? Tumhare liye toh smartphone hi sabse zyada important hai, hai na!

Now Shreya was also irritated.

Shreya- aap aisa kyun kah rahe hain sir? Deepak aisa nehi hai, mera bohot dhyaan rakhta hai yeh! Waise bhi, aaj agar mujhe kuch ho jata, toh sabse zyada toh ise hi pareshani hoti! Doctor, hospital sab kuch ise hi dekhna padta!

Daya stopped. All of a sudden, he realized what he was saying, and to whom.

Daya (in low voice)- sorry, main ne kuch zyada hi bol diya! After all, it's your family matter! Waise mujhe bolne ka koi haq nehi, par…

Now Shreya also realized her mistake.

Shreya- nehi sir, aap galat samajh rahe hain! Mere kahne ka woh matlab nehi tha! Main bas yeh kahena chahti thi ki aap jaisa soch rahe hain, waisa nehi hai! Actually…

But Daya was not in the mood to listen.

Daya- it's ok Shreya. Main samajh sakta hoon!

Shreya (helpless)- aap nehi samajh rahe hain sir! Hua yeh ki…

She was interrupted by Jyoti's call.

Jyoti- maa! Darwaja kholiye!

Shreya- haan beta, aa rahi hoon!

She opened the door, and Jyoti entered with a big box in hand.

Jyoti- arre, Daya uncle! Aap aa gaye! (to Deepak) yeh kya? Tum bahar kyun aaye? Tumne promise kiya tha na, ki jabtaq hum nehi bulate, tum bahar nehi aaoge?

Deepak- haan, par main…

Jyoti- this is cheating Deepak! Ek to tumne pahle hi humara sara plan barbad kar diya! Upar se aapna promise bhi toda! That's not fair! (to Daya) dekhiye na uncle!

Daya (confused)- par Jyoti, baat kya hai?

Jyoti- arre haan, main toh batana hi bhul gayi! Uncle, aaj Deepak ka birthday hai. Toh main ne aur maa ne uske liye ek choti si surprise party arrenge karne ka socha tha! Lekin (glaring at Deepak), inke policewala dimag ne pahle se hi humara sara plan pakad liya! (making a face) phir jab hum dono naraz ho gaye, toh isne wada kiya ki jabtaq hum party ki sari taiyari nehi kar lete, yeh aapne kamre se bahar nehi aayega! Par…

Daya was really feeling guilty now. As the lights were now on, he noticed how beautifully the hall was decorated!

Shreya- arre, light aa gayi! Chalo achha hua! Jyoti, cake le aayi?

Jyoti- haan maa. Chaliye, is par candles laga dete hai!

Shreya- haan, chalo.

Daya- ek minute Jyoti! Tumne jab mujhe phone kiya, tab yeh kyun nehi bataya ki aaj Deepak ka janamdin hai?

Jyoti (smiling)- bas aise hi! Socha aapko bhi thoda surprise de diya jay!

Daya was about to say something, but Jyoti left saying, "ek minute uncle! Maa bula rahi hain!"

Now Daya and Deepak were alone. After a few moments of silence, Daya took a step towards Deepak, put a hand on his shoulder and said softly, "Happy Birthday beta! And sorry! Puri baat jane bina, mujhe aisa nehi kahena chahiye tha!"

Deepak- uncle please! Aap mujhe sharminda kar rahe hain! Waise bhi, aapne jo bhi kaha, woh bilkul sahi tha. Aaj ki baat alag thi, lekin main smartphone mein kuch zyada hi addicted ho gaya! Yeh thik nehi hai!

Daya (faint smile) phir bhi, aaj tumhara birthday hai, main koi gift bhi nehi laya, aur upar se itna daant diya, woh bhi bewajah!

Deepak looked directly in his eyes, and said with a strange smile, "nehi uncle! Aap nehi jante, aaj aapne mujhe zindegi ka sabse khas tohfa de diya!"

Before Daya could understand what he was saying, Jyoti called them, "Deepak! Daya uncle, jaldi aayiye! Cake katne ka waqt ho gaya."

FLASHBACK ENDS

Daya still did not get the meaning of his words. But he was not worried about it. Only thing he was concerned about was, 'did they understand anything?'

The realization, he was trying to deny so long, hit him like a bolt of lightning that day. He could no more deny the fact, that he was still in love! The separation of so many years, could not change that! And he was afraid that, what if other people also know about it?

But why was he so afraid? Was he ashamed of his feeling? Actually, he was! Because he should not feel like this! He knew he should not. He did not have control on his feelings, but at least he could control his actions. And he would. He would not let anyone know about it. One wrong movement from his side would have negative impact on many other lives. He would not let that happen.

He did not expect anything from life anymore. If he was destined to bear only the pain of love, he would. But not Shreya! he would not disturb her settled life again.

His trail of thought was broken by the ringtone of his mobile. Deepak's name was flashing on the screen.

Daya somehow composed himself, and said in normal tone, "haan Deepak, bolo."

Deepak- uncle, abhi aap free ho kya?

Daya- haan, matlab… kyun? Tumhare ghar pe kuch hai kya? Agair aisa hai toh, sorry haan, main nehi aa sakta! Aaj mujhe kuch zaruri kaam hai.

Deepak- nehi uncle, woh baat nehi hai! Main yeh kah raha tha ki, aap zara maa se baat kijiye na!

Daya (bit startled)- tumhari maa se? kyun, kya hua? Sab thik toh hai na?

Deepak- actually, aap toh jante hain ki mera Police Academy ka training ab pura hone mein zyada waqt nehi hai. Mujhe ek assignment diya gaya, jise pura karne ke liye mujhe kal Mumbai se Kolhapur jana hai, aur agle din sham taq wapas aake report karna hai. Lekin maa mujhe jaane nehi de rahi hain!

Daya- kyun?

Deepak- kyunki is waqt train ya bus ki koi bhi ticket mil nehi rahi! Isliye mujhe by car jana padega. Mere ek dost ne mujhe aapna car diya jaane ke liye, lekin pichle kuch dino mein us highway pe bohot accidents ho rahe! So, maa nehi chahti ki main khud wahan se drive karke jaun!

Daya- oh, toh tum cab se chale jao!

Deepak- uncle, main ne koshish kee thi cab book karne ki! Lekin un accidents ke waje se hi koi bhi cab driver ajkal us raste se jana nehi chahte! Par uncle, aap please maa ko samjhaiye! Mera jana bohot zaruri hai, aur mujhe kuch nehi hoga! Agar yeh assignment main pura nehi kar nehi paya, toh shayed mujhe aur 6 mahina ya ek saal is Police Academy mein rahna padega!

Daya (hesitating a little)- accha, tum aapni maa ko phone do!

Soon after, he heard her voice from other side, and suddenly found his mouth bone-dry. With some effort, he managed to say, "hello Shreya!"

Shreya- haan sir, boliye!

Daya- Shreya, Deepak ko kyun rokh rahi ho? Uska jana zaruri hai…

Shreya- main janti hoon sir, par woh rasta safe nehi hai! Aur uske paas driving license zarur hai, lekin main janti hoon ki uska hath thik se set nehi hua abhitaq! Itna lamba rasta, main use akele nehi chod sakti! Aur na hi uske sath jaa sakti, kyunki abhi mujhe office se chutti nehi milegi!

Daya- Shreya, itni chinta kyun karti ho? Kuch nehi hoga use! Aur dekho, jo zindegi woh apnane jaa raha hai, us mein toh har paal khatra hai!

Shreya- woh alag baat hai sir! Lekin jahan khatre ko avoid kiya jaa sakta hai wahan jaan-bujhke khatra mol lene ki kya zarurat hai? Nehi sir, use chahe 6 mahine aur training period kyun na continue karna pade, main use aise nehi jaane dungi! Use medical ground dikhake yeh assignment cancel karwana hi hoga!

Daya could hear that Deepak was trying to protest, and an argument was going to happen between mother and son. He thought for a moment, and decided what to do.

Daya- ok, listen! Main kya kahta hoon, Deepak ko akele jaane ki zarurat nehi hai! Main uske sath chala jaunga.

Shreya (surprised)- aap sir?

Daya- haan, kyun? Koi problem toh nehi hai na?

Shreya- arre nehi sir! Isse achhi baat toh ho hi nehi sakti! Par aapko koi taqleef toh nehi hogi na?

Daya- Shreya please! Itni formalities ki zarurat nehi hai! Tum bas Deepak se kah do, ki kal subah mere ghar aa jay. Meri car toh hai hi, usi se chale jayenge.

Shreya- ok sir. Thank you so much!

Daya (smiling)- good night Shreya!

Shreya (smiling)- good night sir!

Call cut from both ends.

Daya (to himself)- yeh achha hua! Mujhe yeh pata karne ka mauka mil raha hai ki, Deepak ke mann mein mujhe aur Shreya ko lekar koi shaq ya koi bhi baat hai, ya nehi! Agar hoga, toh main use kisi tarah samjha dunga ki, aisi koi baat nehi hai! Bas uski galat-fehmi hai.

Little did he know, the journey of Mumbai to Kolhapur, or Kolhapur to Mumbai was going to change his mind, his life, his little world, his everything!

A/N- sorry for late update friends. This chapter was also written in hurry, don't know it's up to the mark, or not!

Thanks to all my readers and reviewers for your support.

Please read and review.


	11. Chapter 11

A white qualis was running through the highway. Daya was driving, and Deepak was on passenger seat, face turned to the other side.

Daya looked at him and smirked. From the beginning of their journey, Deepak was insisting to allow him to drive, but Daya paid no heed, as he promised Shreya, that he would bring her son back to her safe, and would not let him drive! Finally, Deepak gave up requesting, and started acting like an angry child.

Daya- Deepak?

Deepak- hm!

Daya (sigh)- beta, tum bewajah mujhse naraz ho rahe ho! Dekho, tumhari maa ne mana kiya, warna…

This time Deepak looked at him, "pata hai uncle! Par abhi aap thodi derr ke liye mujhe allow karenge, toh maa ko kaise pata chalega? Aur aap toh mere sath hi ho na? toh pareshani kis baat ki?"

Daya shook his head with a murmured "ise samjhana mushkil hi nehi, na-mumkin hai", and increased the speed a little. Deepak pouted, and turned his face towards the window again.

10 minutes later, Daya stopped the car in front of a dhaba. Deepak, who was little lost in his own thoughts, was startled a bit.

Deepak- kya hua uncle?

Daya- 9 baj chuka hai Deepak! Subah-subah, bina chai-nashta kiye hi ghar se nikla tha, mujhe toh abhi bhookh lag rahi hai! Tumne bhi toh kuch nehi khaya? Tumhari maa bata rahi thi. Chalo, pahle kuch kha lete hai!

Deepak nodded silently, and opened the car door.

Walking side-by-side, Daya said casually, "haan, breakfast ke baad car tum hi chalana! Lekin yaad rahe, aadhe ghante se zyada nehi!

Deepak's face lit up immediately.

Deepak (excited)- really uncle? Oh, thank you so much!

Daya laughed and patted his back, "thanks kahne ki zarurat nehi hai beta! Main samajh sakta hoon ki, tumhare umar mein, aise bajuwali seat pe baithe rahna, kitna boring hota hai!"

Both men shared laughter and moved towards the dhaba.

40 minutes later, they hit the road again.

Deepak- Daya uncle, kafi derr ho gayi, nehi? Humein jald se jald pohunchna hai!

Daya- arre koi baat nehi Deepak! 12 bajne se pahle hum aaram se pohunch jayenge! Tum car sambhalke chalana!

Deepak nodded, but from his facial expression, it was clear that he was not convinced.

Deepak was handling the car well. Daya had a doubt that Shreya's fear was unnecessary. "it may be just the concern for her son"- he thought.

This time their journey was not silent. They were chatting, laughing on small matters, and really enjoying each other's company. When half-an-hour passed, Daya noticed that, but seeing the childlike happiness on Deepak's face, he didn't have the heart to stop him from driving.

But he noticed another thing, and was not happy with that.

Daya- Deepak, car ka speed kam karo! Tum bohot tez chala rahe ho!

Deepak reduced the speed immediately and said, "sorry uncle! Woh main, pohunchne ki jaldi mein… sorry!"

Daya- it's ok! Age se left lena hai! Aur haan, dhyaan se chalana, kyun ki zyadatar accidents isi area mein ho raha hai!

Deepak- ok uncle!

Another half-an-hour passed without any incident. Then both of them heard a mobile ringing.

Deepak- uncle, mera phone baj raha hai! Sayed Jyoti hogi. Zara uthayiye na!

Daya- haan!

He picked up the phone, which was placed on dashboard.

Daya- hello!

From other side- sir, aap? Mujhe laga aap drive kar rahe honge, isliye Deepak ko phone kiya! Kahan hain aaplog?

Daya mentally kicked himself for not checking the caller-id before picking up the phone! Hell, he did not even think of an excuse! Now he was caught red-handed!

Daya- Shreya, woh main… matlab hum, bas pohunchne hi wale hain!

Shreya- woh toh thik hai sir, par phone aap ne kyun uthaya? Deepak kahan hai? (suspicious) kahin car woh toh nehi chala raha hai?

Daya inhaled deep to gather some courage, then hesitantly said, "haan matlab… woh bohot zid kar raha tha, isliye main thodi derr…"

Shreya (almost screamed)- kyaa! Sir, main ne kaha tha aapse, ki woh abhi thik se nehi chala sakta! Hath set nehi hua uska abhi tak! Aapne use… I mean, aap aisa kaise kar sakte hain?

Daya- Shreya, Shreya relax! Tum bewajah itna darr rahi ho! Deepak kafi achha car chala raha hai, koi problem nehi ho raha use! Aur main hoona na! kuch bhi problem hoga, toh main sabhal lunga!

Shreya (bit calm)- haan sir, main janti hoon! Phir bhi…

Daya- achha tum chinta mat karo! Main abhi usse kahta hoon ki woh dubara passenger-seat pe aa jay, bas?

Daya did not notice when the speed of the car was increased again, as he was busy in phone. But suddenly his gaze fell on the road, and what he saw, that sent chills down his spine!

Daya (hurriedly)- Shreya, main tumse baad mein baat karta hoon! (he cut the call and threw the phone on dashboard) Deepak, gadi rokho! Jaldi!

Deepak (startled)- kya hua uncle?

Daya –Deepak…

Before Deepak could understand anything, Daya pushed him and took control of the car. With a jerk, the car stopped.

Deepak felt a pain in his arm, as he was hit hard on window, but he didn't pay heed to that. He just asked, as he was very confused, "baat kya hai uncle? Achanaq kya hua?"

Daya was panting heavily, he did not answer, just signaled towards the road. Deepak followed his gaze, and was shocked.

Deepak- My God! Raste ka yeh condition, mujhe toh pata hi nehi tha! Aur yeh kya? Sadak ke bich mein itna bada gadda! No doubt raat ke andhere mein yahan accident hoga!

Daya- sirf itna hi nehi Deepak! Kal raat ki barish ke wajese rasta kitna slippery ho gaya, dikh raha hai na? aur tum jis speed se car chala rahe the, abhi humara bhi accident ho jata! Aur dhyaan kahan tha tumhara? Tumne yeh pahle dekha kaise nehi? Tumhe lagta hai, ki is raste par tum car ko control kar paoge?

Deepak- I am sorry uncle, woh maa ka phone aaya tha na, isliye mera dhyaan bhi… main ne raste ki taraf dekha hi nehi!

Daya- Deepak, car chalana itna asaan kaam nehi hota! Aankhe, kaan, hath aur pair, har ek organ ko aapne aapne kaam mein puri tarah focused rakhna padta hai! Agar kisi ek se bhi koi galati ho jati hai toh… tumhe pata hai na, anjaam kya hota hai? Aur drive karte samay raste par se dhyaan hathana matlab, sirf galati nehi Deepak, gunah hai yeh! Jisse tumhare sath sath kisi aur ki jaan ko bhi khatra ho sakta hai!

Deepak listened to him silently, with down head.

Daya (getting emotional)- isiliye tumhari maa bar-bar mana kar rahi thi tumhe car chalane se! mujhe pahle hi uski baat maan leni chahiye thi! Mujhe kya pata tha ki tum aisi laparwahi kar sakte ho! Aare, aapni na sahi, kam se kam uski toh phikar karo! Agar tumko kuch ho gaya, toh uska kya hoga?

Deepak (whisper)- aapko maa ki bohot chinta hai, hai na?

Daya (turned with a jerk)- kya? Kya kaha tumne?

Deepak (innocently)- kya hua uncle? Main toh bas yeh kah raha tha ki, aapko humari bohot chinta hai!

Daya inhaled deep to calm himself, "haan, woh toh hai!" then he said in a strict tone, "khair, abhi tum yahan, is seat pe aa ke baitho! Yahan se age jana bohot mushkil hai, par abhi humare paas itna waqt nehi hai ki hum dusre raste se ghumke jay! Toh abhi, main car chalata hoon. Par haan, wapas aate waqt, hum dusre raste se aayenge! Waqt thoda zyada lagega, par kuch kar nehi sakte! Jabtaq tum sath ho, main koi risk nehi le sakta!"

Deepak followed his instructions like an obedient kid.

While starting the car again, Daya said in light tone, "waise toh marwa diya tha tumne aj! Kya zarurart thi yeh bolne ki, ki Jyoti ka phone hoga! pakde gaye na hum!"

Deepak- ab mujhe kya pata tha ki maa abhi dubara phone karengi! Abhi ek ghante pahle hi toh baat hui thi unse!

Daya just smiled in reply, and started driving with full concentration on road.

The next half an hour was a horrible experience for Deepak. He did not know how Daya managed to cross the area! It was his efficiency, or the car was actually his obedient! But really, he found another reason to look up to Daya!

Finally, they reached their destination safely. Hotel was already booked. After check-in, Deepak told Daya that he needed to leave to complete his assignment.

Daya- par beta, pahle fresh ho jao, lunch kar lo, phir chale jana! Itna lamba safar karke thak gaye ho na?

Deepak- nehi uncle, it's ok! Main thik hoon. main bahar kuch kha lunga baad mein, aap lunch kar lijiye! Woh kya hai na, mujhe 2-3 logon se milne jana hai, main ne un sab ko sms karke appointment ka time bhi fix kar liya. Toh…

Daya- achha thik hai. Par fresh toh ho jao!

Deepak- jee.

Deepak moved to the attached bathroom. Daya dialed a number from the room-phone.

After sometime, Deepak came out of the bathroom, prepared to leave. Daya handed him a packet.

Deepak (surprised)- yeh kya hai uncle?

Daya- yeh… kuch chicken-sandwiches hai, reception mein call karke mangwa liya. Aur unse kahke taxi bhi bula liya maine, bahar khadi hai. Raste mein kha lena. Aur haan, tumhari maa ko bhi bata diya main ne, ki hum sahi-salamat pohunch gaye!

Deepak (broad smile)- oh, thank you uncle!

Daya smiled and patted his back, "achha, tum niklo, nehi toh derr ho jayegi! Kuch jyada difficult task to hai nehi, phir bhi agar koi zarurat ho toh phone karna!"

Deepak- haan, sure.

And he left.

 **At Night, 10 pm:**

They hit the road again. Deepak had completed his assignment and returned to hotel around 8. Then after having dinner, they started for Mumbai again.

The qualis was running through a deserted road, and the night was too dark, but that was not a problem for Daya! He knew this area well.

But suddenly, the car stopped with a jerk.

Deepak- kya hua uncle?

Daya- pata nehi, is gadi ko achanak kya ho gaya? Rukho, main dekhta hoon.

He moved to check the car, Deepak also followed him.

Deepak- uncle, yeh car toh start hone ka naam hi nehi le raha hai! Lagta hai mechanic ko bulana padega!

Daya- haan, mujhe bhi yehi lagta hai! Lekin itni raat ko mechanic milna, woh bhi itni sunsan jagah par, kafi mushkil hai! Khair, mera jan-pahechan ka ek mechanic hai Kolhapur mein, main use phone karta hoon.

He called the mechanic, but after talking to him, he cut the call with a disappointed sigh.

Deepak- kya hua uncle? Kya kaha usne?

Daya- wohi, jo main soch raha tha! Usne kaha ki kal subah hone se pahle woh nehi aa payega!

Deepak- kya! Matlab aaj humein puri raat yehin pe guzarna hoga?

Daya- haan, aur koi rasta toh hai nehi!

Deepak- hmm! Par yeh jagah itna sunsan hai, aur andhera bhi…

Daya (little smile)- kyun, tumhe darr lag raha hai? Arre, ek ex-CID officer, aur ek would-be CID officer ko darr kis baat ka? Mere paas toh apna gun bhi hai! Agar tum kuch aur soch rahe ho, matlab aatma-watma jaisa kuch, toh…

Deepak (embarrassed)- arre nehi uncle! Aisi koi baat nehi hai! Main toh bas yeh soch raha tha ki kal mujhe report karne mein kahin derr na ho jay! Aur maa bhi pareshan hongi, isliye…

Daya- haan, yeh baat toh hai! Lekin report karne mein tumhe derr nehi hogi, don't worry! Yeh meri zimmedari hai, kal dopahar taq main kisi bhi tarah tumko Mumbai pohuncha dunga!

Deepak just nodded, then said, "lekin uncle, puri raat agar yehin baithna hai toh, aise khali toh baith sakte na?"

Daya- matlab? Is waqt, kya karna chahte ho?

Deepak (excitedly)- woh uncle, aap apne purane kuch cases ke bare mein batayiye na! waise, maa bhi kabhi kabhi batati hain, lekin woh toh kuch hi saal CID mein rahi. Aapke toh itna saalon ka experience hai, bohot sare mushkil aur khatanak cases bhi dekhe honge! Batayiye na!"

Daya smiled at his excitement, "haan, waise toh humari puri zindegi hi khatro se khelte hua, criminals ko handle karte huye guzri hai! Tumhe bhi pata chalega, jab tum CID join karoge."

Deepak- haan, par uncle, aapke career ka sabse khatarnak case kaunsa tha? I mean, jis mein aapko waqei mein darr laga ho?

Daya (little lost)- 3-4 cases the aise! Jab Abhijeet ko goli lagi ho, ya koi aur khatra… ek baar toh woh bohot dino taq coma mein tha! (sigh) woh din, mano aaj bhi mere liye jaise koi nightmare hai!

Deepak (grined)- main samajh sakta hoon uncle! Aur mujhe yakeen hai ki, abhi agar yehi sawal main Abhijeet sir se poochta, toh woh yehi kahte ki woh Rocky ka case, jahan aapki jaan khatre mein thi, in fact, doctor ne aapko dead declare kar diya tha! Sab jante hain uncle, aapke aur Abhijeet sir ke relation ke bare mein! Aap dono ek dusre ki zindegi mein sabse zyada important person hain, hai na?

Daya smiled, then said in trance, "woh toh hai! Abhijeet ko agar ek kharoch bhi aa jay, toh meri toh jaise dhadkan hi rukh jata hai! Par ek baar aisa bhi hua, jab Abhijeet ko koi khatra nehi tha, phir bhi mujhe, sach mein darr laga!"

Deepak (whisper)- kaunsa case uncle?

Daya- Ahmedabad ka! Shreya aur uski family ka kidnap ho gaya tha! Jab main unhe bachane gaya, meri aankho ke samne Shreya ko goli lagi thi! Meri toh jaise, aankho ke samne andhera cha gaya use us halat mein dekhke, par woh… pata nehi kaise, sara dard, sari taqleef bardast kee! (in a proud tone) Bohot bahadur thi woh! Bohot kabil!

Deepak (whisper)- woh goli aap hi ne nikali thi, hai na uncle? Unhone toh yehi kaha, ki woh yeh dard sirf isliye bardast kar rahi hai, kyun ki aap unke sath hain?

The trance was broken. Daya quickly turned towards Deepak.

His face was not clearly visible due to the darkness, but Daya could see the strange smile on his face. His throat was suddenly dry.

All he could manage to say, "tumhe yeh sab kaise pata, Deepak?"

A/N- extremely sorry for late update. Next update will be posted soon.

Dear dayadmire, thanks for liking the story. No, I am not from Kolhapur, I am from Kolkata. I never went to Kolhapur, just saw the place once in CID. I liked the place, so mentioned it in story.

Thanks to all my readers and reviewers for your continued support. Love u all.


	12. Chapter 12

"Mujhe sab pata hai uncle! Sab kuch!" Deepak replied.

The calm voice sent chills down his spine. But why?

"isi mauke ka intezaar tha na tumko? Bata do use ki woh jo bhi soch raha hai, woh galat hai! Tumhare aur Shreya ke bich kuch nehi hai, bata do use!" his mind screamed to him. But Daya's voice did not obey his brain. He could not utter a single word.

After brief silence, Deepak started to speak again.

"aapko yaad hai, jis din hum pahli baar mile the, aapko aur maa ko yeh ajeeb laga ki maine aapko pahchana kaise! Waise maine jo kaha woh jhuth nehi tha! waqei jo police force join karne jaa raha hai, uske liye ACP Pradyuman, Abhijeet sir aur aapko na pahchanna na-mumkin hai! Par mere liye, baat sirf itni hi nehi hai! Aapka naam maine bohot pahle se janta hoon. Aapne bachpan se.

aapko pata hai, bachpan se lekar, bas kuch hi din pahle taq, meri maa hi meri puri duniya thi! Kyun ki unke siwa mera is duniya mein koi nehi tha jise apna kah sakun! Pita ka pyaar, parivaar ka sath, yeh sab kya hota hai, yeh toh mujhe pata hi nehi hai! Zyada dost bhi kabhi ban nehi paye! Mere school mein, aur society mein bhi, kuch bachhe aise the, jinke maa-baap unhe mere sath khelne se ya baat karne se rokhte the! Unko lagta tha ki mere sangat ka, unke bachho par bura asar padega. Aur kuch log aise bhi the jo, waise toh bohot achhe se pesh aate the, lekin jab bhi main unhe akela milta tha, kisi na kisi bahane se maa ke bare mein sawal poochte rahte the! Maa ke kitne dost hain, kaun kaun humare ghar mein aate hain, maa kisi ke sath kabhi bahar jati hain ya nehi! Ab woh aisa kyun karte the, yeh na toh mujhe tab samajh mein aaya, na hi aaj!"

Deepak said the last sentence chuckling, but the bitterness and pain was not hidden in his voice. Daya felt really bad for him. His own childhood memories were not so full of joy either, as he lost both of his parents in a tender age, and grew up in an orphanage, but he had his siblings! He had his own friend circle there, his teachers loved him, and most important thing, luckily, he never had to face such insensitive people, who love to shamelessly peep in other people's personal space and to make fun of their agony!

Before he could say anything, Deepak continued, "mujhe bilkul achha nehi lagta tha! Aur, aapko pata hai, mere dad ko lekar toh unke mann mein itne sawal the, jitna main ne kabhi maa nehi poocha! Yeh jante hue, ki un sawalo ka mere paas koi jawab nehi hai! (pause) lekin ek baat toh hai! In sab ke bich mein bhi, meri maa humesha sar uthake jeeti rahi! Kabhi kisika yeh himmat nehi hua ki unke samne koi galat ishara bhi kare! I am really proud of her."

Deepak stopped, getting little emotional! Daya could not resist himself form asking a question, though he was not sure that he should ask that or not- "aapne dad ko lekar, tumhare mann mein bhi toh kahin sawal honge, nehi?"

Deepak looked up, "nehi uncle! Haan, ek waqt pe zarur bohot sare sawal the, bura bhi lagta tha jab dusre bachhon ko unke mom aur dad dono ke sath dekhta tha, lekin maa se kabhi zyada sawal nehi kiya main ne! maa ne mujhe samjhaya ki, mere dad dusro ke dad ki tarah nehi hai, isliye woh humare sath nehi rahte! Bas, aur kuch nehi! Sari baatein samajhne ki umar toh nehi thi meri, par itna main samajh gaya, ki is bare mein agar main ne zyada sawal kiya, toh maa ko dukh hoga! isliye… na main ne kabhi poochne ki koshish kee, na maa ne kabhi kuch bataya!

Toh, kuch aisa hi tha mera bachpan. Sab kahte the ki main bohot shy hoon, introvert hoon, kisise khulke baat nehi karta! Sach toh yeh hai ki, mere sath koi properly baat nehi karta tha! School mein mere classmates the, aur society mein padosi ke bachhe! Dost ek bhi nehi tha!

Maa hi meri best friend thi. Aapni har baat main maa ke sath share karta tha. Aur mujhe lagta tha ki, maa bhi aisa hi karti hongi! Kyun ki woh kahti thi na, ki mere ilawa unka bhi is duniya mein koi nehi hai! Par ek din mujhe pata chala ki, main galat tha! Kuch baatein aisi hai, jo woh mere sath share nehi karti! Jis din main ne, pahli baar unke mooh se aap ka naam suna!

FLASHBACK:

6 years old Deepak woke up at midnight, due to a nightmare. He reached out to find his mother, but she was not in bed.

Deepak (with closed eyes)- mumma!

No answer.

Slowly, he opened eyes and found himself alone in the room. His mother was not there.

Deepak (frightened)- Mumma!

No answer.

Slowly, he got up and took baby steps towards the hall.

In the hall, Shreya was there, seated on the floor, and back rested on foot of the sofa. She was in a sleeveless nightgown, which was completely drenched. Wet, unruly hair spread over her shoulders, some on her face. Water-droplets were shining like pearls in the dim light all over her face. Some pearls are tears, of course, but now they were successfully hidden.

Her fingers were clutched to a framed photo, placed on her lap. A photo of the CID team. Her vision was fixed on the face of certain someone in the photo. Her lips were moving, 'Daya sir, Daya sir, Daya sir', in a low, but audible voice, she was saying the name repeatedly.

She was in a trance, she did not know for how long. A frightened cry brought her back in sense. She looked up, panicked.

Shreya- Deepak!

Within seconds, she did two things. First, she hid the photo under a cushion, then took shawl, placed on the back of the sofa and wrapped it around her shoulders. Then she ran to her son and pulled him in a hug.

Shreya- Deepak, kya hua beta? Ro kyun rahe ho?

Deepak (still sobbing)- mumma, kahan chali gayi thi aap? Main kitna darr gaya!

Shreya- aare, par mumma toh yehin hai, apne Deepak ke paas! Aur Deepak toh kitna bahadur bachha hai, hai na? toh darr kyun?

Deepak- woh… main na… us bhoot ko dekha, sapne mein! Woh TV serial wala bhoot… aur aap kamre mein nehi thi…

Shreya- ohh, Deepak! Main ne kaha tha na, aise serials mat dekho! Kal se tum sirf cartoon channels dekhoge, aur kuch nehi!

Deepak did not like the idea. He asked, frowning, "par aap kamre mein kyun nehi thi? Aur aap bhig kaise gayi?"

Shreya- woh main… bas aise hi! Kitni garmi hai na aaj, isliye main nahane chali gayi thi!

Deepak was not satisfied, "par aaj toh garmi nehi hai! Jab hum sone jaa rahe the, aapne toh sari khidkiyan bandh kar di, kyunki mujhe thand lag jayegi!"

Shreya bit her lips. She did not know what to say! She could not tell the kid what was happening to her. Why she had to take a shower in midnight!

The little boy was still talking, without waiting for answer, "mumma, aap ro rahi thi kya? Kya aapne bhi koi bura sapna dekha?"

Yes, she was crying. Not because of 'a' nightmare, but because of her life, which itself was a nightmare.

"mumma, Daya sir kaun hain?"

She looked at her son, shocked. The question from the child, who was the only ray of light in the darkness of her life, her only reason to breath, shook her from core.

"aap baar-baar unka naam le rahi thi, main ne suna! Kaun hain woh mumma?"

Shreya somehow controlled herself, then did the same thing which all adults do, when they don't have answer of a child's question, scolded him in fake anger, "Deepak, bohot zyada sawal karne lage ho tum aajkal! Itni derr raat taq jag rahe ho, kal school nehi jana? Chalo, jaldi se so jao!" then she scooped the kid in her arms and carried him to the bedroom.

FLASHBACK ENDS.

There was silence again in the car. Daya closed his eyes, a stray tear rolled down his cheek. Shreya… his Shreya was in pain! She was alone and… he could not be there for her!

After a few minutes, he managed to say, "phir?"

Deepak's voice was also heavy, "us raat ke bare mein hum ne phir kabhi baat nehi kee! Lekin woh raat, mere liye ek shuruwat thi. Bade hone ki shuruwat. Bachpan ke masumiyat ko khone ki shuruwat! Maa ko kya hua tha, kis dard se woh guzar rahi thi, yeh samajhne ki umar nehi thi meri! Lekin mujhe ahsaas hone laga ki, unki har muskaan ke piche kitna dard chupa hota hai! Mere sath hote hue bhi, woh bohot akeli hain, jis akelapan ko koi dur nehi kar sakta! Main bhi nehi! Aur, jitni strong woh dikhti hain, asal mein utni hain nehi!"

Daya- par tumko humare… I mean mere aur Shreya ke bare mein pata kaise chala? Aur kab? (his voice was little impatient)

Deepak- batata hoon uncle! Jaise jaise din beetne lage, aapka naam, aur woh raat mere liye ek distant memory banke rah gayi. Sayed maa ko yeh secret hi rakhna tha, lekin… kismat ko kuch aur hi manzoor tha! Isliye, jis sawal ka jawab maa ne mujhe us din nehi diya, woh mujhe pata chal hi gaya.

18 saal ka tha main tab! School complete karke collage jana shuru kiya. Collage mein mere kuch achhe dost bane, aur society ke logon ka behavior bhi, kafi normal hone laga!

Ek din, maa office gayi thi, aur main ghar pe akela tha. Main apna koi kitab dhoond raha tha, jo mujhe mere kamre mein mil nehi rahi thi. Toh main dekhne gaya ki kahin maa ke kamre mein toh nehi hai!

Maa ke kamre mein unka aapna ek study-table tha, in fact, abhi bhi hai! Mera woh kitab wahin pe thi, lekin us kitab dekhne se pahle hi, meri nazar kisi aur cheez pe padi! Us table ka ek drawer humesha lock rahta tha. Lekin us din woh khula tha! Shayed maa ne jaldi mein lock karna bhul gayi thi!

Main janta hoon uncle, ki jo main ne kiya woh sahi nehi tha! Har kisi ki privacy hoti hai, aur humein uska respect karna chahiye! Lekin us waqt main aapne aapko, ya phir yeh kahiye ki, apni curiosity ko rokh nehi paya!

Us drawer mein ek blue colour ka folder tha, aur kuch diaries! Bohot sambhalke rakha hua! Aur, aapka ek framed photo! Aapki woh CID team wali photo nehi, woh toh abhi bhi humare ghar ke diwar pe lagi hui hai! Aapka solo photo. Kafi purana lag raha tha! And truth to be spoken, jitney handsome aap hain, usse bhi zyada us photo mein lag rahe the!

Deepak said the last sentence with a cute smile, but Daya was not in a mood to enjoy the compliment.

Daya- us folder… aur woh diaries, kya tha us mein?

Deepak stared at him for a few seconds, then said, "pichle 20 saalon mein, jitni baar aapka naam, aapki tasveer, aapke bahaduri ki kahani newspaper mein aaye, un sare articles ke cuttings the us folder mein! Aur woh diaries, woh toh aur bhi purani! Unki shadi se bhi pahle ki. Aapke sath beetaya hua har ek pal ka hisab tha un diaries ke panno mein!

Unki CID ke din. Aapse pahli mulakat. Kis tarah har problem mein, har khatre mein aapne unka sath diya! Pyaar ka pahla ahsaas!

Uske baad, achanaq hi, bohot dino taq unhone kuch nehi likha! Aur jab phir se likhna shuru kiya, tab unki shadi tay ho chuki thi.

Main nehi janta ki unhone Siddharth Singh Rajput se shadi kyun kee thi, lekin aap manenge nehi, shadi ke muharat taq woh sirf aur sirf aapka intezaar kar rahi thi! Unhone likha, 'kya aisa nehi ho sakta, ki yeh shadi, yeh Siddharth, yeh sab ek lamba-sa sapna ho? Ya phir koi practical joke? Asal mein jiske sath meri shadi hone jaa rahi hai, woh aur koi nehi, mere Daya sir hain! Jaise filmon mein hota hai, kya asal zindegi mein ek baar bhi waisa nehi ho sakta?' par afsoos, film ki kahani mein, aur asli zindegi mein bohot fark hota hai!

With a deep sigh, Daya closed his eyes. He felt a sharp pain in his heart. Only if she knew, what he was going through at that time!

Deepak continued, " apni shadisuda zindegi ke bare mein unhone kuch nehi likha. Lekin us rishte mein woh, ek din ke liye bhi khush nehi rah payi! Warna har pal unko aapki yaad kyun aati!

Phir bhi, do saal aise hi beet gaya! Phir woh divorce! Pati aur sasural ke sath sath, aapne parivaar se bhi sara rishta toot gaya.

Bohot struggle kiya unhone! Apni zindegi izzat ke sath jeene ke liye, mujhe ek achhi parvarish dene ke liye! Un dino mein, jab unke sath koi nehi tha, tab sirf do wajah thi, jo unhe tootne nehi diya! Ek toh unka beta, yani main, aur dusra, aap!"

Daya looked at him, confused. Deepak smiled, "aap nehi jante, par aap hi the, jo zindegi ke sabse mushkil ghadi mein unka taqat bane! Jab bhi woh andar se tootne lagti thi, jab bhi unko lagta tha ki ab aur unse bardast nehi hoga, aapko yaad karke woh aapne aapko sambhalti thi! Jis tarah aapne Bhagwan ko yaad karke, insaan ko ek nayi ummeed ki roshni dikhai deti hai!"

Now Daya had to protest, "bas Deepak! Tum apne emotion mein kuch zyada hi bol rahe ho! Main koi Bhagwaan nehi, bas ek aam-insaan hoon!"

Deepak smiled, "woh baat nehi hai uncle! Dekhiye, Bhagwaan kaun hain, kaise hain, yeh toh kisi bhi insaan ko kabhi puri tarah samjh mein nehi aa sakta! Lekin ek aam-insaan ke liye, Bhagwan ek astha ka, ek viswaas ka naam hai. Bhagwaan woh hain, jinse bejijak aapne sare dukh-dard ki fariyaad kiya jaa sake! Sari duniya sath kyun na chod de, Bhagwaan toh aakhri saans taq dil mein base hote hain! Isliye toh kahte hai, jiska koi nehi hota, uska Bhagwaan hota hai! (pause) aur rahi baat aap dono ki toh, jab bina kisi swarth ke, koi kisi se sachha pyaar karta ho, toh woh pyaar pyaar nehi, puja ban jata hai! Aur aise pyaar karnewale ko, apne chahite mein hi Rab dikhai dete hain!"

Daya stared at him for a few seconds, stunned. Then he said in a low voice, "nehi Deepak! Bhagwaan ke paas insaan apna dukh-dard ki fariyaad sirf apne mann ka bojh halka karne ke liye toh nehi karte! Yeh ummeed ke sath karte ki woh sab thik kar denge! Agar main itna hi khas tha Shreya ke liye, toh usne aapne sabse mushkil waqt mein bhi, kabhi mere paas kyun nehi aayi? Mujhse koi madat lena toh dur, mujhe pata taq nehi chalne diya, ki woh kis halat mein hai!"

Deepak stayed silent for a few moments, then said, "aapke is sawal ka jawab mere paas nehi hai uncle! Ho sake toh aap maa se hi pooch lena! Lekin agar bura na mane toh, mere ek sawal ka jawab denge?"

Daya- poocho!

Deepak- aapne maa se shadi kyun nehi kee?

Daya (after brief silence)- is sawal ka jawab dena thoda mushkil hai mere liye! Kyun ki, shayed tum yakeen nehi karoge! Humari shadi isliye nehi ho payi kyun ki, main kabhi usse apne dil ki baat kah nehi paya. Galati meri thi! Main janta tha ki Shreya mujhe chahti hai. Lekin main ne apne dil ki awaaz kabhi sunne ki koshish hi nehi kee! Kya karta! Pyaar mein do baar dhokha khane ke baad, pyaar ke naam se hi darr lagta tha mujhe! Aur jabtaq mujhe yeh ahsaas hua ki, usse main kitna pyaar karta hoon, tabtaq bohot derr ho chuki thi. Uski shadi tay ho gayi thi Siddharth ke sath. Aur, us ke gharwale ka bhi kafi pressure tha uske upar, toh, majboori mein use yeh shadi karni padi.

Deepak (sigh)- oh! Isiliye, maa ne kabhi aapke khilaf kuch nehi likha! Aapse koi shikhayet nehi tha unka! Sirf ek sawal tha! "kya unke dil mein mere liye koi jaga hai?" (He looked at Daya and smiled) maa ko is sawal ka jawab shayed na mile, par mujhe toh mil gaya!

Daya bit his lip, and said without looking at him, "Deepak, tum jo soch rahe ho, waisa nehi hai! Tumne jo bhi kaha, woh sab bohot purani baatein hain! Har kisika past hota hai, humara bhi tha. Lekin aaj aisa kuch... tum samajh rahe ho na?"

Deepak grinned, "kisse jhuth bol rahe hain aap? Kise samjhana chahte hain? Mujhe? Ya aapne aapko? Agar yeh sab past hai, aap dono ke dil mein ab ek dusre ke liye kuch bhi nehi hai toh, kyun aaj bhi ek dusre ki har choti choti pasand na-pasand ka khyaal rahta hai aap dono ko? Kyun agar aap bimaar hote hain, toh unko taqleef hoti hai? Unko chot lagti hai toh aap kyun itne pareshan ho jate hain? Aur sabse badi baat, aap dono jab bhi ek dusre ke samne aate hain, aapki aankho mein jo chamak dikhai deti hai, woh pyaar nehi toh aur kya hai? Aap kitna bhi koshish kar lijiye, aap jhuth nehi bol sakte. Aapke anjaane mein hi, aapki aankhe, aapki muskaan, aapke chehre ki raunak, sab sach bata dete hai!"

Daya closed his eyes. He was completely in loss of words. The kid was right! But he could not understand what was going to Deepak's mind! He was Shreya's son, for God's sake! How could he…?

"main janta hoon aap kya soch rahe hain!"

Daya looked at him, startled.

A/N- probably the longest chapter, and most difficult to write. It will be continued in next 2-3 days.

Extremely sorry that I could not keep my promise, but this one was not in my control!

I would have completed this part of the stroy in one chapter, but it was getting too long. So I'll continue it in next chapter. Please stay tuned.


	13. Chapter 13

"Aap yehi soch rahe hain na, ki ek beta kaise aapni maa ke bare mein yeh sab itni asaani se kah raha hai? Aapni maa ki zindegi ka yeh sach, woh kaise accept kar sakta hai?"

Daya turned his face to the other side, without answering. Deepak sighed, "sahi soch rahe hain aap! Asaan nehi tha yeh mere liye!

Jab mujhe pahli baar is baat ka pata chala, bohot sadma laga tha mujhe! Main aapko explain nehi kar sakta ki exactly kaisa feel kiya main ne, lekin… mujhe bilkul achha nehi laga! Ek taraf toh ek ajeeb sa guilt feeling ho rahi thi, aisa lag raha tha jaise maine kuch aisa kiya jo mujhe nehi karna tha, kuch aisa jan gaya, jo mujhe kabhi janna nehi chahiye tha! Aapni maa ki zindegi ke bare mein yeh sab baatein janna galat… nehi, sayed gunah hai! Aur dusri taraf, gussa aa raha tha mujhe! Yeh jante huye bhi, ki yeh unka personal matter hai, aur mera isse koi lenadena nehi, main maa se bohot naraz tha!

Main is duniya mein jis insaan se sabse zyada pyaar karta hoon, uski zindegi mein koi aisa hai, jo uske liye toh bohot khas hai, lekin jiske bare mein main kuch bhi nehi janta! Asaan nehi tha is baat ko accept karna! Haan, agar main ek normal family se belong karta, toh shayed yeh mere liye itni badi baat nehi hoti, par maa ke siwa mera toh koi nehi tha! Na dad the, na koi bhai ya bahen! Maa ko, ya unke pyaar ko, kabhi kisi ke sath share nehi kiya main ne! Isliye, main khud bhi nehi janta ki main kab aur kitna possessive ban gaya!

I admit, I was jealous. Mere mann mein yeh khyaal aa raha tha ki, maa aapse itna pyaar kaise kar sakti hain! Kya aap unke liye, mujhse bhi special hain? I know, is sawal ka koi matlab nehi hai, kyun ki dono rishte bilkul alag hai! Par mera mental condition us waqt aisa nehi tha ki main kuch bhi logically soch saku!

Main ne sari cheezein waise hi sambhalke rakh diya, jaise woh pahle thi, aur chala aaya. Maa se kabhi main ne is bare mein kuch nehi kaha, lekin us din se humare bich ek duriya aa gayi!

Pahle main har choti choti baat ma se share karta tha. Lekin ab, humare bich sirf zaruri baatein hoti thi. Pahle main pura din intezaar karta rahta tha maa ke office se lautne ki. Jab ki woh harroz 6 se 7 baje taq aa jati thi, phir bhi main shikhayet karta ki 'aap thodi jaldi nehi aa sakti?' aur ab, maa derr raat taq mera intezaar karti rahti thi, jab main aapne naye doston ke sath bahar time spend karta tha. Pahle weekends ke liye hum bohot sari planning karte the, kyun ki pura din humein sath rahne ko milta! Lekin ab, mere paas toh maa ke liye waqt hi nehi tha!"

Deepak stopped for a second, and looked at Daya. Daya was staring at him, frowning. Deepak understood the unspoken question and said with a faint smile, "nehi uncle! Aap jaisa soch rahe hain, waisa nehi hai! Main upset zarur tha, par meri maa ka diya hua sanskaar itna kamzor kabhi nehi hua ki main koi galat kadam utha loon!"

Daya's face softened. After brief silence, he asked, "tumhari maa… usne tumse poocha nehi ki tum achanaq aise kyun behave kar rahe ho?"

Deepak (in a heavy voice)- haan, unhone poochne ki koshish kee thi, par main ne baat ko taal diya. Aur unhone bhi zyada sawal nehi kiya, kyun ki unko shayed laga hoga ki, is umar mein thoda-bohot aisa sabke sath hota hai. Unko bura toh zarur lagta tha, par unhone mujhe zabardasti rokhne ki koshish nehi kee. Unko bharosa tha, ki unka beta koi galat raste pe nehi jaa sakta.

Daya sighed, "phir?"

Deepak- kahin dino taq aise hi chalta raha. Aur shayed, aaj bhi halat wohi hota agar… agar Jyoti us waqt meri zindegi mein na aati!

Daya- Jyoti?

Deepak- haan uncle. Aap toh jante hain ki Jyoti meri girlfriend hai. Lekin mere liye uski pahechan sirf itni nehi! Meri zindegi mein woh ek farishte ki tarah aayi thi! Mujhe pyaar ke ahsaas ke sath sath, sahi aur galat ki pahechan karane! Mujhe zindegi ko ek alag nazare se dikhane ke liye!

Humara ek common friend hai, Harshit. Hum dono paheli baar usike ghar pe mile the. Us din uska birthday tha, aur hum sab friends raat ko wahin rukhne ka plan tha. Par main yeh baat maa ko batana bhool gaya. Kafi derr raat taq party chal rahi thi, aur maa pareshan hoke baar-baar phone kar rahi thi. Tab bhi mujhe yaad nehi aaya ki main ne unko kuch bataya nehi! Ulta main irritate hoke baar-baar unka phone kat raha tha.

FLASHBACK:

Harshit- yaar Deepak, tu phone kyun nehi utha raha hai? Aunty kafi derr se try kar rahi hain, ek baar baat toh kar le!

Deepak- kya baat karun yaar? Wohi sawal poochengi, 'kahan ho, kiske sath ho, ghar kab aaoge? Aapna dhyaan rakhna, itni raat ko bahar rahena safe nehi hai!' I am fed-up yaar! Main koi bachha hoon? Aur unko pata toh hai ki main raat ko yahan rahunga!

Harshit- haan, phir bhi! Ho sakta hai ki koi emergency ho? Ek baar phone uthane mein kya jata hai?

Deepak- nehi uthana mujhe phone yaar! Koi emergency nehi hai! Ab tu mera dimag mat kha! Uske liye meri mom akeli hi kafi hai! Nehi chahiye mujhe kisi ka itna concern!

Harshit- haan, toh thik hai! Itna kyun chid raha hai?

Deepak was little embarrassed. He had absolutely no reason to be mad at his friend. In fact, in deep down his mind, he knew that he had no reason to be upset with his mother too, and what he was doing, was wrong. But right now, he was not in the mood to talk to her.

Deepak- main… woh bas… sorry yaar!

Harshit just patted his back in reply, and left from there as another friend of them was calling him.

Jyoti, Deepak's new-found friend was seated beside him, and was silently listening to the conversation. Now, as they were seated in a corner-sofa, and no one else was around them, she calmly asked, "Deepak, agar tum bura na mano, toh ek baat pooch sakti hoon?"

Deepak- haan, bolo na! itni formality ki kya zarurat hai?

Jyoti ignored the comment, and asked in the same tone, "tum aapni maa se kisi waje se naraz ho kya?"

Feeling uncomfortable, he turned his face to the other side. Then said in a low voice, "nehi… nehi toh! Kyun?"

Jyoti- toh tum aise kyun behave kar rahe ho?

Deepak- bas, aise hi! Unko samajhna chahiye na, ki sabki aapni zindegi hoti hai! Is waqt mera mann nehi hai unse baat karne ka!

Jyoti- toh yehi baat unko politely bata dete, ki tum baad mein unse baat karoge! Tum phone nehi utha rahe ho, woh aur pareshan ho rahi hongi! (pause) sorry, main tumhe thik se janti bhi nehi hoon, phir bhi tumhari niji mamle mein baat kar rahi hoon, par…

Deepak- nehi Jyoti, aisi baat nehi hai! Par tum khud hi dekh lo, itne sare log hain yahan, kisi ke bhi parents aise baar-baar phone karke pareshan toh nehi karte! Tumhare ghar se koi phone aaya itni derr mein?

Jyoti stayed silent for a moment, then a sad smile appeared on his face.

Jyoti- Deepak, mere ghar se koi phone kabhi nehi aata! Kyun ki, mujhe phone karne ke ghar mein koi hai hi nehi! Main ek orphan hoon Deepak! (with a deep sigh) you know, you are very lucky! Koi toh hai tumhara is duniya mein, tumhara khyaal rakhne ke liye, tumhari chinta karne ke liye!

Not only her words, but there was something in her voice, which shook Deepak from the core.

"How does it feel to be all alone in the world?" a little voice questioned him, from deep down his mind.

"How will you feel if she's not there for you? If you are sick, there will be no one to take care of you, to stay awake beside you throughout the night! If you are hurt, there will be no one to hug you and tell you that everything's ok! When you will be back at home after a long, hectic day, there will no one waiting for you, so you can have dinner together."

"Can you live without your mother?"

After some moments of silence, Jyoti softly called, "Deepak!"

Deepak (coming out of the trance)- haan… I am sorry Jyoti! Mujhe pata nehi tha ki…

Jyoti- it's ok Deepak! Tumhe kaise pata hoga! lekin koi hai, jiske bare mein bhi shayed tumhe kuch pata nehi hai, jo tumhe pata hona chahiye!

Deepak understood, but stayed silent, waiting for her to say something more.

Jyoti- Deepak, bas ek dost ke haisiyat se kah rahi hoon, ek baar aunty ji se baat kar lo! tum hi ne toh abhi thodi derr pahle kaha, ki tumhare ghar mein tum dono ke siwa aur koi nehi hai. Iska matlab, is waqt woh akeli hongi! Ho sakta hai sach mein koi emergency ho? Agar aisa nehi hai, toh shayed tumhe gussa aayega ki woh bina wajah phone kar rahi thi! Lekin agar unhe waqei tumhari zarurat ho, aur tum sahi waqt pe unke paas na pohunch sako, phir toh tumhe zindegi bhar afsos karna padega!

The words started echoing in Deepak's ear. A strange, unknown was engrossing him. His heart was freezing!

All of a sudden, he stood up, saying "mujhe ghar jana hai", and ran from there without giving Jyoti a chance to reply.

Before he left, he almost collided with Harshit, who was coming towards him.

Harshit- aare, tu kahan jaa raha hai?

Deepak- mujhe ghar jana yaar, bohot urgent hai!

Harshit- par tu toh raat ko rukhnewala tha! Achanaq kya hua? Sab thik toh hai na? aunty?

Deepak- haan woh… main tujhe baad mein bataunga yaar! Abhi thoda jaldi mein hoon!

Harshit- aare rukh! Tu itni raat ko jayega kaise? Chal, main tujhe chod deta hoon.

Deepak- nehi yaar, it's ok. Main chala jaunga…

Harshit- c'mon yaar! Raat kafi ho chuki hai, is waqt kuch nehi milega yahan se!

Deepak- par teri birthday party hai, guests hain abhi bhi! Tu kyun mere liye taqleef…

Harshit- is mein taqleef ki kya baat hai? Main kaunsa tujhe kandhe pe uthake le janewala hoon? Bike hai mere paas! 15-20 minute mein tujhe chodke wapas aa jaunga! abhi bahas karna bandh kar, aur chal!

Deepak nodded reluctantly, and left with him.

15 minutes later, a bike stopped in front of the society gate, where Deepak lived.

Deepak- thanks Harshit!

Harshit- Deepak please! Itna formal hone ki zarurat nehi hai! Lekin ek baat meri samajh mein nehi aa rahi hai, tujhe achanaq kya ho gaya? Aunty se koi baat hui kya?

Deepak bit his lips, "nehi yaar! Maa ne tab se koi phone nehi kiya!

Harshit- toh tu kar leta!

Deepak- haan, main ne socha tha, par…! Pata nehi kyun mujhe bohot darr lag raha hai! Kahin kuch galat toh nehi ho gaya?

Harshit placed a hand on Deepak's shoulder, "aare aisa kyun soch raha hai yaar? Sab thik hi hoga! tu ja, andar jake dekh pahle kya hua! Chal, main bhi tere sath chalta hoon."

Deepak- aare nehi yaar, it's ok. Tu ghar ja, sab tera intezaar kar rahe honge. Agar koi bhi problem hoga, toh main tujhe phone karunga!

Harshit- sure?

Deepak (little smile)- haan yaar!

Harshit- chal, thik hai! Bye, take care!

Deepak- bye. Sambhalke jana!

Harshit waved at him and left.

Deepak entered in the society compound. Their flat was on first floor, as soon as he entered, his eyes fell on the balcony of their flat. And he saw her.

All lights were switched of, except a dim one in balcony. So he saw her in the background of dark, stood like a statue. She might be waiting for her son, but now, no one could tell that by seeing her. She was looking so tired! Empty eyes were staring far away… no, not staring, her eyes were open, but she was not seeing anything! She was looking completely lost!

No one else was awake around, at that moment. When everyone else was sleeping peacefully, leaving all their problems and tensions behind, she stood there, waiting. Alone.

Deepak did not know how long he was there, staring at his mother. The trance was broken by her voice.

Shreya- Deepak! Wahan kyun khada hai?

Deepak looked at her but could not answer at once.

Shreya- kya hua Deepak?

This time he somehow managed to say, "kuch nehi. Aa raha hoon."

When Deepak reached upstairs, Shreya was already at the doorstep, worried.

Shreya- kahan rah gaya tha tu? Kab se call kar rahi hoon, phone kyun nehi utha raha tha? Kya hua Deepak? Tu kuch bol kyun nehi raha hai? Sab thik toh hai na?

Deepak did answer. He just took a step forward and hugged his mom.

Shreya hugged back, but she was more surprised than glad. She asked again, "kya baat hai Deepak? Tu thik toh hai na?"

Deepak- haan maa!

He pulled back and looked at her. He was shocked to see tears forming in her eyes.

Deepak- maa, aap ro rahi hain?

Shreya (quickly wiping the tears)- nehi toh! woh toh bas… tu ne bohot dino baad aise gale lagaya, isliye…

Deepak hugged her again, and pressing his face in her neck, he said in a muffled voice, "I am sorry maa."

FLASHBACK ENDS.

Deepak blinked back the tears which were threatening to fall, and said, "us din, mujhe dubara yaad aaya woh raat. Us din phir se ek baar ahsaas hua, unke dard ka.

Us din main ne ek alag nazar se maa ko dekha! Ek bete ke nazar se nehi, bas ek insaan ke nazar se dusre insaan ko! Tab jaake mujhe yeh ahsaas hua ki kitna dard aapne sine mein chupake woh ek normal zindegi jeene ki koshish kar rahi hain. Jo dard sirf unka hi hai, kisi ke sath jo share nehi kiya jaa sakta! Aur main yeh baat itne dino taq samajh nehi paya! Un dino ke liye main aapne aapko kabhi maaf nehi kar paya uncle, kabhi nehi!"

Both stayed silent for some moments. Then Daya softly asked, "aur Jyoti? I mean, tum dono ka…"

Deepak- Jyoti ko main ne agle din call kiya tha. Jis tarah main chala aaya tha party se, use sorry bhi bolna tha, aur thanks bhi. (smile) phir, hum pahle dost bane, aur baad mein… waise Jyoti meri pahli dost hai, jise main ne yeh sari baatein bataya. Aur, jis baat ko accept karne mein mujhe itna waqt laga, usne kitni asani se us baat ko maan liya!

Us ne mujhe samjhaya ki, hum humesha kahte hain, ki har kisika ek personal space hota hai! Par jab baat ek aurat ki hoti hai, tab hum asani se yeh baat bhul jate hain! Galati kisi ek ki nehi, pure samaj ki hai! Ya phir yeh kahiye ki, galati in auraton ki hai! Jo humesha aapne se zyada aapni family ko importance dete hain, aapne liye, aapne parivaar ke liye jeeti hain! Aur saalon se yeh dekhte dekhte ek waqt aata hai jab humein iski aadat ho jati hai! Tab hum unke abhari nehi hote, balki humein lagta hai ki yeh toh humara haq hai! Tabhi, agar woh aurat ek baar, ek pal ke liye aapne bare mein sochti hai, toh hum asani se use selfish kah dete hain! Uske pyaar par, parivaar ke prati uski zimmedari par sawal uthate hain! Naraz ho jate hai usse! Aur agar woh aurat ek maa ho, phir toh…! lekin yeh sahi soch nehi hai na uncle?

Jyoti ki wajese ek din mujhe meri galati ka ahsaas hua tha! Aur uski waje se hi main, yeh sach ko samajh paya. Aur jab mujhe khud pyaar ka ahsaas hua, tab main ne maa ke pyaar ko bhi samajh paya. Pyaar ko khone ka gham kya hota hai, yeh tab jake main samajha! Tabhi, main ne decide kar liya ki maa ko unka khoya hua pyaar lautane ke liye, jo mujhse ho sake, woh main karunga! Aur agar aisa na kar paya, toh…

Daya- toh?

Deepak- toh, aapni zindegi ke har din ek bahtar beta banne ki koshish karunga.

Daya looked at him, eyes full of praise and love. He liked the boy, but today, he saw him from a complete new angle.

Deepak- you know, main ne aapke bare mein kafi research kiya. Tab mujhe pata nehi tha ki kis wajese aap dono alag huye the, par ek baat ka mujhe yakeen ho gaya, ki aap jaise insaan kabhi kisike sath kuch galat nehi kar sakte. Aur yeh bhi pata chala ki aap bhi aaj taq shadi nehi kee, koi family nehi hai aapki. Tabse, ek sapna dekha tha main! Mumbai ki Police Academy mein admission bhi isiliye liya, ta ki aapse mil sakun. Us din, Jyoti ka woh accident hona ek co-incidence tha, agar aisa nehi hota toh bhi main kisi tarike se aapse milta zarur!

Daya (sigh)- lekin ab tum mujhse kya chahte ho Deepak? Agar tumhe yeh janna tha ki main Shreya se abhi bhi pyaar karta hoon ya nehi, toh yes, I admit, I still love her! Lekin ab, is umar mein, kya matlab hai is pyaar ka? Ise koi naam toh nehi de sakte na?

Deepak- kyun uncle? Aap dono ek dusre ko chahte hain, umar ka kya sambandh hai isse? Aur agar aap samaj ki baat karein toh, samaj ki ungli bohot pahle uth chuki hai humari taraf, woh bhi bina kisi galati ke! Us baat se mujhe koi fark nehi padta! Yeh zindegi humari hai, iska faisla karne ka haq hum dusron ko kyun de? Agar kisiko koi taqleef na dete huye, hum thoda khushi se jee le, toh kya galat hai ismein?

Daya- Deepak, abhi bhi bachhe ho tum! Bhavnayon mein aakar jo kuch kah rahe ho, ab woh mumkeen nehi hai! Dusron ki chodo, ab humein kya milnewala hai is rishte se?

Deepak- kya kuch paane ki khowaish leke aap dono ne ek dusre se pyaar kiya tha? Agar aisa hota toh woh pyaar aajtaq zinda nehi hota! Please uncle, aaj aapne dil ki awaz ko sun lijiye! Jo galat faisla saalon pahle liye the, aaj waqt aa gaya hai, use sudhar lijiye!

Daya closed his eyes, trying to control his emotions. He could not believe his luck. Was it possible? His fortune always betrayed him, at least when it came to the matter of love. Shreya…? how would she react if…? What would Abhijeet say? Was life really giving him another chance? Could the right decision be taken even after the right time? Or, it was the right time?

Deepak- uncle, aap yeh mat sochiye ki main yeh sab sirf maa ke liye kar raha hoon. Mera apna bhi swarth hai?

Daya looked at him, "matlab?"

Deepak took a few seconds before starting to speak again, "uncle, jab main Mumbai aaya tha, tab yehi soch ke aaya tha, ki maa ke liye kuch karne jaa raha hoon. Lekin aapse milne ke baad, baat sirf itni nehi rahi!

Aapko pata hai, jo single parents ke bachhe hote hain, chahe unko apne dad ya mom se kitna bhi pyaar aur kitni bhi achhi parvarish kyun na mile, zindegi ke kuch mod par use yeh khyaal aata hi hai, ki 'agar mere dad hote', ya agar 'meri mom hoti!' humare dono parents zaruri hote hain! ek ki kami, dusra kabhi pura nehi kar sakta! Iska matlab yeh nehi ki, single parents aapni zimmedari nehi nibha sakte! Jaise unki zimmedari dusro se kahin zyada hoti hai, zimmedari nibhane mein bhi woh dusro se shayed bahtar hi hote hain! Par baat sirf zimmedari ki nehi hai! Aakher maa toh maa hi hoti hai, aur pita, pita! Ek ki jaga, dusra nehi le sakta!

Yes, I also miss my father! Par main Siddharth Singh Rajput ki baat nehi kar raha hoon! Jo aadmi meri maa ko dukh ke siwa kabhi kuch nehi diya, mujhe kabhi apnaya hi nehi, uske liye meri koi feelings nehi hai! You know, mujhe bohot bura lagta hai jab mujhe, kisi document par father's name ki jaga, yeh naam likhna padta hai! Aaj bhi humare samaj mein, pita ki pahchan zaruri hai na!" he said the last sentence almost gritting his teeth.

Daya did not know what to say! He stayed silent, waiting.

Deepak took some time to calm down, then said, without looking at Daya, "lekin ek father-figure ki zarurat main ne bhi mahsoos kee apni zindegi mein! Aur aapse milne ke baad, ek pita ka jaisa image mere mann mein tha, woh aap mein mujhe dikha! Aapko yaad hai, mere birthday ke din aapne mujhe bohot daanta! (with smile) aur meri koi galati nehi thi, yeh janne ke baad, kitne pyaar se sorry kaha? (Daya also smiled) us din main ne aapse kaha tha, ki aap nehi jante, aap ne mujhe zindegi ka sabse khas tohfa de diya! Mujhe bohot achha laga tha uncle, ek ajeeb sa sukoon mahsoos hua! Aisa laga ki mere dad hote, toh bilkul aise hi karte!"

A strange warmth was feeling Daya's heart. All of a sudden, he felt his eyelids were getting moist.

Deepak- aaj main aap dono ka rishta isliye chahta hoon, kyun ki main apne sar pe pita ka saya chahta hoon! Zindegi ke jo pal, jo khushiyan main ne itne saalon se miss kiya, woh main aaj jeena chahta hoon!

Daya somehow controlled his emotions and said in wet tone, "par beta, uske liye kisi rishte ki kya zarurat hai? Woh toh waise bhi…

Deepak cut him, "I know! I know that you love me! Lekin jabtaq aap is rishte ko koi naam nehi denge, mujhe toh yehi lagega ki is pyaar par mera koi haq nehi hai! (pause) aaj subah jab main almost ek accident karne jaa raha tha, aur aap end moment par car ko sambhal liya, main ne dekha tha, aapki toh jaise dhadkane rukh gayi thi! Main ne dekha tha aapki aankho mein, hum dono ke liye aapke mann mein kitni chinta aur kitna pyaar hai! Aur, main aapse chupaunga nehi, woh main ne jaan-boojhkar kiya tha! Mujhe yakeen tha, aap mujhe kuch nehi hone denge!"

Daya looked at him in utter disbelief, "Deepak, are you crazy? Agar main car ko control nehi kar pata toh…"- he wanted to give him an earful, but he was in complete loss of word.

Deepak's voice chocked in emotion, "mujhe pata hai ki main ne galat kiya! Jo risk main ne liya tha, usse mere sath sath aapki jaan ko bhi khatra ho sakta tha! I am sorry for that. par kya hai na, humari society ke samne jo park hai, wahan harroz ek bachha, apne papa ke sath aata hai! Bohot shararati hai woh! Ek baar bhi uske papa agar uska hath chod diya, toh bas, idhar-udhar bhagne lagta hai! Uske papa rokhne ki koshish karte hain, lekin woh suntan hi nehi! Kyun ki, use pata hai ki uske papa toh hain na! agar woh gir jay, ya use chout lag jay, toh papa daantenge zarur, par use sambhalenge bhi!

Meri maa ne humesha mujhe strong banna sikhaya! Ta ki main agar gir jaun, toh bina kisi sahare ke dubara khada ho sakun! Maa humesha mujhe guide karti hain, lekin unhone yeh bhi samjhaya ki main agar unki baat na mankar koi decision liya, toh uski zimmedari sirf meri hogi! Aur main is baat ko manta bhi hoon! Lekin uncle, aaj, zindegi mein ek baar main us bachhe ki tarah kisi pe bharosa karna chahta tha! I- I know it's stupid, but…"

Daya tried to say something, but looking at his face, he could not. He just reached out and pulled Deepak in a hug.

Deepak, as if expecting this, hugged him back as tight as he can, and buried his face in the broad chest. And soon he realized some tear-droplets were falling on his head.

After a while, they pulled back, and Daya noticed a wet patch on his shirt. Before he could say something, Deepak gave him a teary smile, and said, "dekha, baat karte karte pata hi nehi chala kab subah ho gayi!"

Daya looked up. Yes, he was right. The darkness started to fade, the greatest artist of universe started coloring the sky with light pink. Soon, they witnessed the sunrise.

Deepak smiled at Daya, "uncle, main ne aapse jo kuch bhi kaha, shayed uske liye yeh sannata aur andhere ka sahara zaruri tha! Par ab, main ummeed karta hoon ki, aaj ka yeh suraj hum sab ki zindegi mein nayi roshni lekar aayegi!"

A/N- a long chapter, don't know it will match with your expectation or not!

Dear Aftab, I am sorry, I really don't have enough time to manage to post sooner. Trust me, I am trying my best to make it faster. About Dareya, please wait to see what happens.

Dear mistic morning, tomar review niye already amra discuss krechi. But thanks once again. R ha, next update Abhijeet sir will be included.

Dear Samaira, kashyaprfg, Topaz007, Bhumi, aash vin, shreya, Geet, diganter817, karan, Harshit, soni 18 and guests, thank you so much friends.

Thanks everyone for your valuable comments and continued support. Please stay tuned.


	14. Chapter 14

Two weeks. Two weeks passed after their return from Kolhapur. That day, Daya dropped Deepak at their society gate, and came home. He told Deepak that he did not want to meet Shreya face to face at that moment! He needed some time to think!

And he thought. Truth to be spoken, since two weeks, his mind was completely engrossed in that thought. And he was surprised to see, all his dreams and imaginations, which he once strangled to death, were still alive, even after 25 years! Till now, just the thought of starting a new life with Shreya, filled his heart with a strange feeling of warmth. A feeling of being complete.

Yes, the dream was not same as 25 years ago. At that time, it was just him and Shreya. but now, Deepak and Jyoti were also included in his picture of complete family.

Deepak! Such a gem of a boy! Daya was grateful to him. If it was not for Deepak, he would never try to peep in his own heart. A small smile appeared on his face just thinking of that kid. "Deepak, I'll try my best to be the father-figure for you, as you want me to be!" he vowed.

But… wait a minute, Daya himself was little startled because of his own thought, why 'father-figure'? Why not just 'father'? Though he could not find answer at that moment, but he ignored the little question. Did that really matter?

Actually, there was something else to worry about…

His trail of thought was broken by the sound of mobile. Daya bit his lip, checking the caller-id. This person, he could not hide anything from him! But he was not sure how to tell him!

He received the call reluctantly.

Daya- haan Abhijeet, bolo!

Abhijeet- kya baat hai Daya? Busy ho?

Daya- uh… nehi toh! kyun?

Abhijeet- nehi, aisa lag raha hai ki abhi tumhara baat karne ka mood nehi hai! Koi baat nehi, main baad mein phone karta hoon!

Daya sighed. He forgot that this man could read his mind like an open book, even by his voice only!

Daya- nehi yaar, aisi baat nehi hai! In fact, main abhi tumhare bare mein hi soch raha tha.

Abhijeet- achha! Kya baat hai! Aajkal bhaisaab ko mujhse 5minute thik se baat karne ki fursat nehi milti, aur mere bare mein hi soch rahe hain?

Daya- Abhijeet…

Abhijeet- achha chod! Main tujhe yeh batane ke liye phone kiya ki aaj sham ko tujhe humare yahan aana hai.

Daya- aaj, kyun?

Abhijeet- kyun matlab? Humare ghar aane ke liye tujhe ab koi wajah chahiye?

Daya (bit irritated)- kya Abhijeet, main ne aisa kab kaha? Ek mamuli sa sawal toh poocha main ne, sidhe sidhe jawab kyun nehi dete?

Abhijeet- kyun doon main jawab? Tu mere kisi sawal ka sidha jawab deta hai? Pichle do hafte se main dekh raha hoon, tu har waqt pareshan rahta hai! Pata nehi kya sochta rahta hai! Lekin jab bhi main poochne ki koshish karta hoon, tu ya toh kisi bahane se baat ko taal deta hai, ya phir gussa ho jata hai! Sab ko tera behavior ajeeb lagne laga hai! Arjun aaj mujhse pooch raha tha ki, 'papa, chachu ko kya hua? Kahin woh kisi problem mein toh nehi hain?' ab tu hi bata, kya jawab doon main usko? Jab mujhe khud nehi pata ki tere dimag mein kya chal raha hai!

Daya stayed silent for some moments. Abhijeet was absolutely right. In past two weeks, he was not in condition to notice that the people cared for him, were getting worried due to his behavior.

Daya- sorry Abhi! Tum mere liye bohot pareshan ho na?

Abhijeet (paused)- is mein nayi baat kya hai! Khair, jo bhi baat hai, agar tu mujhe batana nehi chahta, toh koi baat nehi! Lekin yaar, agar pareshani ki koi baat hai, toh mera janna zaruri hai! Aur…

Daya interrupted, "nehi Abhi, aisi baat nehi hai! Main pahle hi tumko sabkuch batata, par mujhe thoda waqt chahiye tha! (taking a deep breath) Abhi, main aaj hi tumse baat karna chahta hoon! Par tumhare ghar pe nehi, mere ghar pe!"

Abhijeet- matlab?

Daya- matlab… aaj sham ko tum aur Tarika mere ghar aa jana. Par bachhe nehi! Mujhe abhi sirf tum dono se baat karni hai!

Abhijeet took some time to speak, "thik hai Daya, agar tum yehi chahte ho toh main tumhe force nehi karunga. Par yaar, Arjun aur Tanisha ka bohot mann hai tumse milne ka! Aur woh dono abhi bachhe nehi rahe! Main aur Tarika bhi ab unse sari baatein share karte hain…"

Daya- I know Abhi! Par yaar, baat hi kuch aisi hai ki… tum please unko samjhana! Aur kahena ki agle Sunday main un dono ko dinner pe leke jaunga! Par aaj nehi!

Abhijeet- thik hai. Milte hai sham ko!

Daya- ok, bye!

Call cut from both ends.

 _Evening, at Daya's Place:_

All three were present. Daya, Abhijeet, and Tarika. In normal days, the atmosphere would have been filled with laughter, light chats, leg-pulling of each other, or nostalgia, remembering the CID days! But today, everything was different.

Three half-filled coffee-cups were placed on centre table, but no one seemed to be interested. An awkward silence was there, between three people, closest to each other.

Finally, Abhijeet was the one to break the silence, "toh… yehi baat karni thi tumko?"

Daya just nodded.

"tum aapni zindegi ko, tum dono ke rishte ko ek dusra mauka dena chahte ho? Ek naya rishta jodna chahte ho Shreya ke sath?" Abhijeet asked.

This time Daya looked in his eyes, and said, "25 saal pahle jo galati kee thi main ne, bas usi ko sudharna chahta hoon! Isiliye yeh faisla liya!"

Tarika- agar faisla tumne le hi liya, toh phir humse baat karne ki kya zarurat thi?

Daya was hurt, but did not show it. He just said, "because we are family Tarika! And truth to be spoken, you are my only family!"

Tarika (bitter smile)- family? Kash tum sach mein aisa mante! Kyun Daya? Kya zarurat hai tumhe humari salaah ki? Humein pahle se pata tha, ki aisa kuch honewala hai! Kya Abhijeet ne pahle hi tumko nehi samjhaya, ki tum dono ke liye achha yehi hai, ki ab tum ek dusre se na milo! Par tum kyun manoge? Tumhe toh wohi karna hai, jo tumko sahi lage! Jab main ne poochne ki koshish kee, ki kyun jate ho tum Shreya ke ghar, tumne mujhse kya kaha? Bas un bachhon ke khatir! Unhone force kiya, isliye!

Daya- main ne jhuth nehi kaha Tarika! Yehi sach hai ki jab pahli baar main wahan gaya tha, Deepak aur Jyoti ke kahne par hi…

Tarika- pahli baar! Aur uske baad? Kya woh bhi unlogon ke kahne par? Kise samjhana chahte ho Daya? Mujhe ya aapne aapko?

Abhijeet interrupted, "Tarika relax! Tum overreact kar rahi ho!"

Tarika- haan, kar rahi hoon main overreact! Kyun ki mujhe parwa hai Daya ki! Abhijeet, jab 25 saal pahle, Shreya humesha ke liya iski zindegi se chali gayi thi, main ne dekha tha kya halat ho gaya tha iska! Un dino mein sirf tum nehi the Abhijeet, jo ise sambhala! Har waqt main bhi khadi thi tumhare sath! Jab tumne kaha tha, ki jabtaq Daya ki life settled nehi ho jati, tum bhi shadi nehi kar sakte, bina kisi sawal kiye, main ne maan liya! Aur woh isliye nehi ki main koi sacrifice kar rahi thi! Balki isliye, ki main Daya ko apna dost manti hoon. Us waqt, jab yeh apne toote huye sapno ke sath, akela jee raha tha, tab main aapni nayi zindegi, nayi khushiyon ke bare mein soch bhi nehi sakti thi! Haan, woh alag baat hai ki Daya ne hi hum dono ko samjhaya, aur humari shadi hui bhi toh iski waje se! (to Daya) Daya, 25 saal pahle tumne ek galat faisla liya! Lekin aaj tum usse bhi badi galati karne jaa rahe ho! Har faisla lene ka ek sahi waqt hota hai! Woh agar beet jay, toh woh faisla bhi sahi nehi rahta!

Daya- tum aisa kyun kah rahi ho Tarika? Haan, main manta hoon ki meri umar mein shadi ka faisla lena, thoda ajeeb lagta hai! Lekin Tarika, mera toh manna yeh hai, pyaar ki sahi pahechan, isi umar mein hoti hai! Kam umar mein toh log, aksar pasand aur pyaar mein farq hi nehi kar pate! Kabhi kisi ka khoobsurat chehra, ya kisiki baatein, ya phir kisi aur quality ki wajese ek attraction hota hai. Infatuation! Aur kam umar mein, log aksar use hi pyaar samajhte hain! Tab us dusre insaan ki galatiyan, kamiyaan ya toh nazar nehi aate, ya phir woh nazar-andaz karte hain! Lekin aise zyada din nehi chalta! Dheere dheere jab uski kamiyaan nazar aane lagti hain, attraction kam hone lagta hai, tabtaq sayed, bohot derr ho chuki hoti hai! Phir, ya toh rishte toot jate hain, ya phir zindegibhar compromise karna padta hai! Bohot couple ka ghar aise toot jate hue dekha main ne Tarika! Kya tumne nehi dekha? Kahin couples ko aisa kahte hue suna, ki saalon pahle, unhone ek galat faisla liya, jiski wajese unki zindegi barbaad ho gayi!

Lekin Tarika, jo insaan itne saalon taq, bina kisi swarth ke, kisise itna pyaar kar sakta hai, sachhai toh usike pyaar mein hai na? meri chodo, tum yeh batao ki Shreya ko kya mila mujhse pyaar karke? Phir bhi mere liye uska yeh devotion… nehi Tarika, is pyaar ko main aur nazar-andaz nehi kar sakta! Main kuch galat nehi kar raha hoon! Aur agar tum yeh kaho ki, log kya kahenge, toh us baat se mujhe koi farq nehi padta!

Tarika (calmly)- tumhari baat sahi hai Daya! Main janti hoon ki, log kya kahenge, is baat se tumhe koi matlab nehi. Aur main tumhari umar ki baat bhi nehi kar rahi hoon! Haan, yeh shadi karne ki umar nehi hai, but you are fit and healthy! Aur Shreya bhi koi 18 saal ki ladki toh hai nehi! so that's not a big deal! Lekin main yeh poochna chahti hoon ki, jis pyaar ke bharose tum itna bada kadam uthane jaa rahe ho, kya waqei us pyaar mein itni taqat hai? Are you sure ki woh bhi ek infatuation nehi? Main tumhari baat nehi kar rahi hoon Daya, tum Shreya se kitna pyaar karte ho, yeh hum sab jante hain! Main usi ki baat kar rahi hoon.

Daya stared at her for some moments, then said, "ab is baat ka kya jawab doon main? sab kuch sunne ke baad bhi tum aisa sawal pooch rahi ho? Tarika, saalon pahle jo usne mujhse pyaar kiya tha, waqt ki sath woh kabhi kam nehi hua! Puri zindegi usne mere yaadon ke sahare jeeti rahi, sara dard, sare akelapan ko jhelti rahi, aur…"

Tarika cut him, "lekin tumhare samne kabhi nehi aayi! Kyun Daya? Jis insaan se hum sabse zyada pyaar karte hain, kya aisa ho sakta hai ki zindegi ki sabse mushkil ghadi mein uski yaad na aaye? aur sabse ahem sawal, agar woh tumse itna hi pyaar karti thi, toh Siddhart se shadi hi kyun kee?"

Daya- Tarika, tumhara pahla sawal ka jawab nehi hai mere paas. Main nehi janta ki woh us waqt mere paas kyun nehi aayi! Lekin woh shadi usne apni marzi se nehi kee thi, yeh baat tum bhi janti ho! Uski family ka pressure tha us par!

Tarika- kaisa pressure Daya? Haan, uske parents galat the! Paiso ke lalach mein Siddharth jaise ladke se uski shadi tay kee, jhooth bolkar tumhara letter Shreya taq pohunch ne nehi diya! Lekin Shreya ko kisi ke gun-point pe toh nehi rakha tha, shadi karne ke liye? Ek baar woh baat toh kar sakti thi apne parents se? tumhari baat na sahi, itna toh kah sakti thi ki mujhe abhi shadi nehi karni! Tumhara intezaar kar leti kuch din aur? Tumne kabhi bataya nehi, lekin tum Shreya ko kitna chahte ho, yeh hum sabko maloom tha! aur woh bhi toh tumse pyaar karti thi, at least, according to her? Toh phir? Sachhe pyaar ke liye log toh kuch bhi kar sakte hai! But nehi! She chose her family over you! Us waqt main, Purvi aur Shreya, hum tino kafi close the! Humne kitni baar baat karne ki koshish kee, lekin…

Daya stopped her by raising a hand, and said in tired voice, "Tarika please! Ab kya faida in purani baaton ka? Uski shadi jo bhi wajese hui ho, mujhe yakeen hai, ki uske dil mein mere ilawa kabhi kisika koi jagah nehi tha! Aur, ab uski zindegi mein na toh Siddharth hai, na hi us parivaar ke sath uska koi rishta! Toh ab hum aise piche ki taraf kyun dekhe?"

Tarika- lekin us rishte ki nishani toh aaj bhi hai na? aur aisi nishani, jise kabhi mitaya nehi jaa sakta?

Daya (confused)- matlab? Tum kahena kya chahti ho?

Tarika- main Deepak ki baat kar rahi hoon. Siddharth ka beta! Uska apna khoon!

Daya stared blankly at her for a few moments. Then softly said, "Tarika, tum shayed bhool rahi ho ki, woh sirf Siddharth ka nehi, Shreya ka bhi beta hai! In fact, woh Shreya ka hi beta hai! Siddharth Singh Rajput sirf ek naam hai uske liye, aur kuch nehi!"

Tarika- baat uski nehi Daya, tumhari hai! Aur problem yehi hai ki, woh Shreya ka beta hai! Daya, ab taq tumne yeh maan liya tha, ki ab Shreya tumhari kabhi nehi ho sakti! Isliye Deepak ke bare mein bhi tumne aise kabhi kuch socha nehi! Lekin jab tumhe tumhara khoya hua pyaar mil jayega, jab Shreya tumhari ho jayegi, tab kya tum us Deepak ko bardaast kar paoge? Kya jab bhi tum uski taraf dekhoge, tumhe Siddharth ka chehra nazar nehi aayega? Woh insaan, jiski waje se tum dono alag huye the? Mujhe batao Daya, duniya mein kis mard ko yeh manzoor hoga, ki jis ladki se woh pyaar karta hai, woh kisi aur ki aulad ko janam de?

Both men looked at her disbelievingly. Daya was about to say something, but at first he could not find his voice. What Tarika was saying, sounded bad, but… wasn't he the one, who felt relieved to see that Deepak did not look like his father, at the very first day of their meeting? Didn't he thought, just a few hours ago, that he would be a 'father-figure' for Deepak, not a 'father'?

The innocent face, the expressive eyes, the bright smile flashed in front of his eyes, which shook himself out of the thought. But before he could speak, he heard Abhijeet's voice, "yeh tum kya kah rahi ho Tarika? Mera Daya ka dil itna chota nehi hai ki…"

Tarika- Abhijeet, baat ko samjho! Dil chota ya bada hone ki baat nehi hai yeh! Main bas ek aam insaan ke psychology ke hisab se kah rahi hoon! Aur tum… tum kya Daya ke is faisle ko support kar rahe ho?

Daya looked at Abhijeet, eyes full of hope. But Abhijeet disappointed him. He did not give a proper answer.

Abhijeet- woh… alag baat hai! Lekin haan, agar sirf is baat ke liye tum is faisle ke khilaf ho, toh main manne ko taiyaar nehi hoon! Abhi thodi derr pahle tumne hi kaha na, ki Shreya us waqt Daya ke paas kyun nehi aayi? Agar aati, toh Daya use accept karta na? tab tum kya kahti?

Tarika- tab ki baat alag thi Abhi! Tab yeh Deepak ek bachha tha! Ek bachhe ko insaan asani se aapna sakta hai, ek lagav aapne aap hi ho jata hai! Lekin ek 23 saal ke jawan ladke se, kya waisa lagav ho sakta hai? Use koi asani se apna beta maan sakta hai? Khair, chodo yeh sab! Deepak ke taraf se socho! Kya use yeh rishta manzoor hoga?

Daya- Tarika, Deepak khud yeh chahta hai! Main ne aaj yeh faisla liya, toh uski wajese! Usne hi mujhe samjhaya ki…

Tarika cut him again, "woh abhi bachha hai Daya! Uski umar hi kahan hui hai zindegi ko, rishton ki ahemiyat ko samajh ne ki? Use laga ki uski maa tumse pyaar karti hai, agar tum dono ko milwaya jay, toh woh khush hogi, toh bas, nikal pada mission mein! Lekin yeh nehi socha ki iska consequences kya ho sakta hai!

Daya, usne kabhi aapni maa ko kisi ke sath share nehi kiya! Na uske dad the, na koi bhai-bahen! Koi dusre gharwale taq nehi the! Uski maa aur woh, ek unit hai! Sirf do logon ki ek choti si duniya! Uski girlfriend ki abhi baat nehi kar rahi hoon main! Unke is choti si duniya mein, jab ek teesra, yani tum aana chahoge, problems toh hona hi hai! Aur main koi bohot badi problem ki baat nehi kar rahi hoon! Choti choti baatein, ego clashes, jaise har ghar mein hota rahta hai! Lekin ek choti si chingari se hi pura ghar jalkar rakh ho sakta hai! Main nehi chahti Daya ki tum koi aisa faisla lo, jiski wajese tumko kal afsos karna pade! Kya milega tum is naye rishte se, jis ke liye tum aapni yeh settled life, yahan ke sukh-chayan, sab kuch daon pe lagane jaa rahe ho?

Tarika stopped for a second, expecting an answer. But both men stayed silent.

She bit her lip, and said, "aur ek baat main kah deti hoon Daya! Agar woh tumse pyaar karti bhi hai, phir bhi woh ab sirf 'tumhari Shreya' nehi ban sakti! Ab sabse pahle woh ek maa hai! Ek maa ke liye uska bachha ek taraf hota hai, aur baki puri duniya ek taraf! Aapne bete ko woh humesha tumse age rakhegi, yeh tumhe manzoor toh hoga na Daya?"

Daya- seriously Tarika? Ab bachho jaisi baatein kar rahi ho tum! Kya yeh sab mujhe maloom nehi hai? Jo is baat ka mujhe farq padega ki uske liye uska beta mujhse zyada important hai? Aur… Deepak bohot achha ladka hai! Toh…

Tarika- main kab kah rahi hoon, ki woh achha ladka nehi hai? Jab do logon ko bich compatibility nehi hoti, yeh zaruri nehi hai ki un mein se koi ek, achha insaan na ho! Ho sakta hai ki, individually they both are good people! Aur jahantaq tum dono ki baat hai, koi problem na ho toh achha hai! Lekin jaisa main ne kaha, tumlog kabhi eksath, ek chat ke niche toh nehi rahe na? Deepak ki chodo, Shreya ke sath bhi nehi rahe! Toh kaise kah sakte ho ki tum sab ek dusre se adjust kar paoge?

Daya took a deep breath with closed eyes. He was so, so tired! A confrontation like this was expected, but…. It was getting difficult for him in every moment. It had to stop!

Daya- Tarika, tumhe jo bhi kahena tha, tumne kaha! Ab sayed tumhe sunkar achha na lage, par mera faisla abhi bhi wohi hai! (he looked at his closest friend for once, who was almost silent during the entire conversation, and bit his lip, as he was feeling a pain in his heart to say the next sentence) agar tum… tum dono ne mera sath nehi diya, toh mujhe bohot dukh hoga! lekin mera yeh faisla ab nehi badalnewala! Waise bhi main ne bohot derr kar diya! Bohot intezaar kiya usne mera! Uske pyaar ko ab aur nazar-andaaz karke, uska aur apmaan nehi kar sakta main. Aur rahi baat Deepak ki toh… woh mera beta jaisa hai! I know, ki tum abhi kahogi ki beta jaisa hone mein, aur beta hone mein bohot farq hai! Yeh toh waqt hi batayega! But I can assure you, ki hum dono mein jo bonding hai, ek workable relationship ke liye woh kafi hai.

Saying this, he closed his eyes. He was ready to hear some angry words, or even worse, some foot-steps, leaving the house, leaving HIM! But….

A hand squeezed his shoulder, and in next moment, he heard a soft, familiar voice, "toh tu ne kaise soch liya, ki tere sahi faisle mein hum tera sath nehi denge?"

Daya opened his eyes and saw in bewilderment, the deep eyes of his brother, full of love! And he was smiling, a real smile, which was clearly showing how happy he was!

Daya smiled too, though he still could not believe his eyes!

Daya- Abhijeet… tum, I mean, sach mein tum…

Abhijeet patted his cheek lovingly, and nodded.

Daya (voice almost chocked)- tum abtaq chup kyun the Abhi?

Abhijeet- main intezaar kar raha tha Daya! Tujhe phirse ek baar pyaar ka ahsaas ho raha hai, yeh baat tujhe pata chale, usse pahle main samajh gaya tha! lekin tabhi main ne soch liya tha, ki tujhe tere dil ki awaaz sunane ke liye, abhi mujhe chup rahena hoga! yeh teri zindegi ka faisla hai Daya, yeh tujhe akele hi lena hoga! haan, uske baad agar zarurat pade toh… main hoon na!

A bright smile appeared on Daya's face. Abhijeet also smiled and embraced him. The two best friends shared a long, emotional hug.

 _Night, At Abhijeet's home:_

Sitting on bed, Tarika was flipping the pages of a magazine. Though it was clear from her facial expression, that her mind was somewhere else.

Abhijeet entered, and locked the bedroom door.

Abhijeet- Tarika, tum soyi nehi abhitaq?

Tarika looked at him, but did not bother to answer.

Abhijeet sat beside her and softly asked, "naraz ho?"

Tarika (calmly)- nehi, naraz hone ki kya baat hai! Tumne toh wohi kiya jo tumko sahi laga! Aur jahantaq Daya ki baat hai… yeh uski niji zindegi hai! Use pura haq hai faisla lene ka.

Abhijeet reached out to squeeze her palm, "Tarika please! Mujhe maloom hai ki tumhe bura laga! Lekin…"

Tarika- Abhijeet, mujhe is baat ka bura nehi laga ki Daya ne meri baat nehi mani! Mujhe toh is baat ka bura laga ki… agar tum sab kuch pahle se jante the, aur tumhe Daya ko support karna tha, toh tumne mujhe bataya kyun nehi? Agar bata diya hota toh…

Abhijeet- Tarika, mujhe yeh sab maloom nehi tha! bas ek andaza tha! aur agar bata diya hota, toh? kya karti tum? Daya se baat nehi karti? Ya mujhe rokhti, uska sath dene ke liye?

Tarika (paused)- nehi, magar is tarah baat nehi karti! I mean, pahle hum dono apas mein baat karte ki humein kya karna hai, kya kahena hai…

Abhijeet- nehi Tarika! Dekho, hum pati-patni zarur hain, lekin pahle hum do alag insaan hain! Yeh zaruri nehi ki humesha humara point of view same ho! Lekin yeh zaruri hai ki ek dusre ki baat ko samjhne ki koshish kare! Tumko jo sahi laga, woh tumne kaha! Tum kya sochti ho, yeh janna bhi toh mere liye zaruri tha!

Tarika (sigh)- Abhijeet, mujhe galat mat samjho! Main Daya aur Shreya ke rishte ke khilaf nehi hoon! Mujhe waqei bohot darr lag raha hai Daya ke liye!

Abhijeet- I know Tarika! Isliye toh tumhare khilaf bhi kuch nehi kaha main ne! tumhare sare logic sahi hai! Lekin is waqt tum dimag se soch rahi ho, aur woh dil se! galat koi bhi nehi hai! (pause) lekin sabse ahem baat tum dono hi bhool gaye!

Tarika (confused)- woh kya hai?

Abhijeet- kya Shreya is rishte ke liye manegi?

Tarika stared at him, not sure what to say. Abhijeet smiles sadly.

Abhijeet- Daya toh hai hi sentimental! Use bas itna pata chala ki Shreya aaj bhi usse pyaar karti hai, toh bas! Kho gaya aapne sapno ki duniya mein! Woh yeh bhool gaya ki dur rahkar kisise mann hi mann pyaar karna ek baat hai, aur usse shadi karke nayi zindegi shuru karna alag! Daya ko na sahi, Shreya ko toh society ki parwa ho sakti hai na? akher woh ek aurat hai! Jiska beta hai, honewali bahu hai, kitne logon ke sath office mein kaam karna padta hai, society mein aapna ek reputation hai, jo use bohot struggle karke mila hai! Ab sabkuch daon pe lagake kya woh is rishte ke liye manegi?

Tarika- yeh tum kya kah rahe ho Abhi? Aur, yeh sab tumne Daya ko kyun bataya?

Abhijeet- kaise batata Tarika? Tumne dekha nehi, kitna khush ho raha woh, is nayi shuruwat ke bare mein sochkar? Kitne saalon baad main ne phir se main ne uske chehre pe woh raunak, woh muskaan dekha Tarika, jo dekhne ke liye meri aankhe taras gayi thi! Nehi kah paya main!

Tarika- lekin ab? Agar is baar Daya ka yeh sapna toota, toh woh nehi jhel payega Abhi! Puri tarah toot jayega woh!

Abhijeet- nehi! Ab aisa nehi hoga! 25 saal pahle main kuch nehi kar paya tha, lekin ab mere dost ke sapno ko pura karne ke liye, mujhe jo karna hai, woh main karunga!

A/N- thanks friends for your support, and extremely sorry that I am not being able to post updates regularly. This chapter, you may find boring, but trust me, it was necessary for the story! Dareya moment will also come soon. My request to all my readers, please have patience.


	15. Chapter 15

The bright morning sun softly touched her eyelids through the open window. She woke up, after a long, long time, with a smile on her lips.

It's her special day. In last 25 years, there was nothing 'special' in her life, except her son, of course, but nothing to be happy for herself. But today, everything was different.

She came out in the balcony and took a deep breath in the fresh, cool morning air. She was feeling so relaxed and happy like a child, after ages. She wondered how a phone- call at 12am, from someone, no, not someone, but 'the' one, made the difference.

Last night, when her phone rang, she was already half-asleep. Without checking the number, she just picked up.

In reply of her sleepy, tired 'hello', a very well-known voice hesitatingly asked from other side, "so gayi thi kya?"

Her eyes shot open immediately. "sir, aap is waqt? Sab thik toh hai na?"

"haan, sab thik hai! Actually, main kisi aur wajese phone kiya!"

"haan, batayiye na!"

"woh main… yeh kah raha tha ki… Happy Birthday Shreya!"

She could not believe her ears at first. He called, just to wish her happy birthday? How did he even remember, when she herself forgot about it?

She could not remember when was the last time someone wished her for her birthday at 12. Till now, she thought that it didn't really matter, but right now, she realized that how different and special the feeling was! Knowing that someone cared. Someone remembered and stayed awake, just for her. And she found that her voice was chocked in emotion.

"Shreya! Shreya! tum sun rahi ho na?"

She came out of the trance and managed to reply, "haan… haan sir! Thanks a lot!"

"you are welcome!"

"par aapko yaad kaise tha?"

He took some time before answer, "bas… yaad rah gaya! Achha yeh batao, kal tumhara koi programme hai kya?"

"nehi sir, mera kaunsa programme? Waise bhi kal Sunday hai, toh main toh ghar pe hi hoon. Kyun?"

"nehi, main soch raha tha ki kal agar main tumhare ghar… actually mujhe tumse kuch baat karni hai! Agar tumhe koi problem na ho toh…"

She was little surprised, "arre nehi sir, aap itna formality kyun kar rahe hain? Aap ek kaam kijiye, kal lunch pe aa jaiye! Phir baithke baatein karenge!"

"hmm, ok! Phir milte hai kal! Achha Shreya, kal tumhare liye kya gift leke aaun?"

She blushed, "kya sir aap bhi! Main koi bachhi hoon kya?"

He laughed, "kyun? Gift pe sirf bachhon ka haq hota hai? Achha koi baat nehi, woh surprise hi rahne dete hai! Good night."

She smiled, "good night sir."

And now, standing in balcony, she smiled again, recalling the conversation. "Aap nehi jante sir, mujhe mera gift mil gaya!"

He did not know. But the one phone-call took her back to her old days. Before her continuous battle with this cruel world. Before her marriage, before Siddharth! When she was the bright, young CID Inspector Shreya, absolutely happy with her life, and secretly in love with her senior, though it was not so secret to her friends and colleagues. Every year, the night before her birthday, she used to go to sleep, with a secret wish, that at 12, a call would wake her up, a call from him! Some of her friends used to wish her at 12, but that call never came. He always wished her on next day, in bureau, when others also did.

"well, better late than never", she said to herself.

"Happy Birthday maa!"

Bit startled, she looked back to her son, stood behind her, holding a flower bouquet. Smiling, she took it.

"thank you beta!" she said and opened her arms. Deepak hugged her tightly.

After a moment, she pulled away and said, "Deepak, ek baat karni thi… achha, pahle yeh batao ki aaj tum pura din ghar pe hi ho na?"

Deepak- nehi maa, mujhe Academy se call aaya tha, ekbar thodi derr ke liye jana padega!

Shreya- aaj? Par aaj toh Sunday hai!

Deepak- haan, lekin kya karein! Police Commissioner ko aaj hi aana tha Academy visit karne! Unko sabhi students se milna hai, toh…

Shreya- Achha, phir toh jana hi hoga! lekin zara jaldi aane ki koshish karna!

Deepak smiled, "of course maa! Waise aap kuch kah rahi thi na?

Shreya- haan woh… Daya sir ko aaj lunch pe bulaya hai, toh…

Deepak- really? Yeh bohot achha kiya aap ne! don't worry, main lunch-time se pahle aa jaunga! Aur haan, aaj khana aap nehi banaogi!

Shreya was astonished, "toh kaun banayega?"

Deepak- koi bhi nehi! I mean, aaj hum bahar se khana mangwa lenge. Yahan paas mein hi ek naya restaurant khula hai, Chinese, continental, sab kuch milta hai! Aur mera ek dost bata raha tha ki wahan ka khana bhi bohot achha hai! Toh main abhi wahan phone kar deta hoon home delivery ke liye, aur kah deta hoon ki 11 baje taq khana pohunch jana chahiye!

Shreya- ok, par yeh sab karne ki kya zarurat hai? Main kar leti!

Deepak- nehi maa! Aap toh pure saal kaam karti rahti ho! Aaj ka din aap sirf aaram karogi, bas!

She smiled, "Achha thik hai! Waise Jyoti kab aayegi?"

Deepak- use main Academy se wapas aate waqt leke aaunga.

Shreya- thik hai. Toh chalo, main breakfast bana deti hoon, tumhe derr ho rahi hogi!

Deepak- maa, abhi abhi main ne kya kaha aapse? Aaj aap koi kaam nehi karogi! Aaj breakfast main banata hoon aapke liye!

He gave his mother a side-hug, and ran towards the kitchen.

Shreya shook her head with a smile, "ye ladka bhi na! bilkul pagal hai!"

She came out after having a shower and stood in front of the mirror. Since ages, she stopped paying attention to her looks, and did only what she had to, to look presentable at her workplace. But today, she wanted to look special! Today, she would allow herself to ask the mirror secretly, "kaisi lag rahi hoon main?"

It took a little more time than other days to choose a dress. Finally, she managed to pick up a royal blue crape silk, which Deepak and Jyoti bought her during the last year diwali shopping, but she refused to wear it, saying that it would be too gorgeous for her age. But now, she had to admit that her children got exceptionally good dress sense and taste of color. She was looking like a queen in that saree!

A pearl-set, necklace, earrings and two bangles were looking perfect with it. Make-up was not necessary for her to look pretty, but today she spent a little extra time for that. Eyes beautifully done with eyeliner and natural eye-shadow, wine-red lipstick, a low bun in hair, and a little blue bindi between eye-brows… yes she was ready! After a long time, she felt so good looking in the mirror.

She checked the time, it was 9.30.

Shreya said to herself, "arre, abhi toh sirf 9.30 baje hai! Deepak aur Jyoti ke aane mein abhi bhi bohot time hai! Daya sir bhi itni jaldi kahan aayenge! Toh main itni derr akele kya karoon! Khana bhi Deepak ne bahar se order kiya!

Ek kaam karti hoon! Hotel se jo khana aayega so aayega, par main ghar mein thodi kheer bana leti hoon! Thoda time-pass bhi ho jayega aur… Daya sir ko mere hath ki kheer bohot pasand hai!"

With a fond smile, she moved to the kitchen.

While collecting the ingredients, she found that there was no cashew or raisins.

She frowned, "ye kya? Ghar mein na kaju hai, na hi kishamish! Ab kya karoon! Aise hi kheer bana loon? Nehi nehi, phir unko achha na lage toh? main abhi jake Market se le aati hoon!"

She locked the door and left for the supermarket, which was five minutes walking distance from her Apartment.

She went to the grocery section of the supermarket, looking for the things she needed, when someone called her from behind.

Voice- Namaste Shreya ji!

She looked back, and found two women from her society. They were not close to her, nor did they make a good company, but now she had to greet them back.

Shreya- Namaste Kaveri ji, Sushma ji! Aaplog yahan?

Kaveri- haan, hum toh ghar ka saman lene aaye the! Par aap yahan?

Shreya- main bhi… kuch groceries leni hai, isliye…

Sushma- kya baat hai Shreya ji! Itna saaj-sawar ke, taiyaar hoke, aap saman lene aayi hain?

Shreya felt little uncomfortable. Though there was nothing wrong in the question, but she had a feeling that it was not as simple as it was asked.

Before she could answer, Kaveri asked again, "batayiye na, aapke ghar mein kuch hai kya? Party wagera?"

Shreya- nehi, kuch khas nehi, aise hi! Koi mehmaan anewale hain, toh… achha, mujhe thodi jaldi hai, please excuse me.

She moved from there, trying to overlook the smirk in their eyes.

She just wanted to take her things and leave as soon as possible, but she froze at her place when she heard them talking. They thought that she had left already, so they were talking quite casually. Though she was at a distance, but she could clearly hear them. Her senses were working more keenly, as she knew that they were talking about HER.

Kaveri- ajkal inke ghar mehmaan kuch zyada hi aane lage, nehi?

Sushma- aur kya! Waise manna padega haan, is umar mein bhi…

Kaveri- woh jo aadmi aata hai na, suna hai koi CID officer tha, kafi superior rank ka!

Sushma- achha! Aur yeh Shreya bhi toh CID mein rah chuki hai! Matlab… purana ashiq? Kamal hai, itne saalon baad bhi pyaar kam nehi hua inka?

Kaveri- ab pyaar hai, ya kuch aur, yeh toh main nehi janti! Par aksar aise rishte mein na toh koi zimmedari hoti hai, na hi koi expectation. Bas jo jee mein aaye woh karo, maze lo! warna tum hi socho, woh aadmi bhi toh koi 20-22 saal ka naujawan nehi hai! Kya pata, uska aapna ghar-parivaar, biwi-bachhe hai bhi ya nehi! Aur agar aisa nehi hai, toh itne saalon mein inlogon ne shadi kyun nehi kee? Hum ne toh suna tha ki bohot pahle divorce ho gaya tha Shreya ka, apne pati ke sath!

Sushma- arre aisa sab toh videshon mein hote huye suna tha! ab humare yahan bhi… pata nehi kya ho gaya hai samaj ko! Aur is aurat ka toh jawan beta bhi hai ghar mein! Uski ek girlfriend bhi hai, aksar aati-jati rahti hai! Unke samne hi yeh sab…

Kaveri- arre ajkal ke bachhe hain, woh bhi aise mahol mein pale-badhe, jahan sanskaar ki toh koi jagah hai hi nehi! Socha hoga ki achha hai, jab kuch dino mein hum aapna ghar basayenge, maa ki zimmedari se toh chutkara mil jayegi! Maa bhi aapne boyfriend ke sath khush, bachhe bhi aapni duniya mein khush! (pause) ya phir, yeh bhi ho sakta hai ki, unko aadat hai yeh sab dekhne ki!

Sushma- haan, mujhe bhi aisa hi lagta hai! Dekha tumne, kis tarah taiyaar hoke aayi thi, jaise nayi-naveli dulhan ho! Agar is umar mein bhi aisi harqat kar sakti hai, toh bhari jawani mein kya karti hogi!

Kaveri- sahi kaha! Aise chal-chalan ke wajese hi pati ne bhi chod diya hoga! warna aise hi koi pati apni patni ko talaq deta hai kya?

Now it was enough. Enough to bear! She was not completely unaware of the fact, that there was some gossip about her in the society, but she did not know what it was about! She thought that it was just the common things people say about divorced women and single mothers. The same thing happened to her in Bangalore, and she paid no heed. But here it was different. These people were stepping in her personal space. They should be… no, must be stopped! They must be told to shut up and mind their own business.

She turned and took a step towards them, but stopped.

A sudden realization hit her that her protest was of no use here. These women were no exception! There were plenty of such people out there! Such cruel, selfish, narrow-minded people! She could not shut everyone's mouth.

Till now, they were talking behind her back. May be, they didn't have the guts to say it on her face, or they were maintaining the little decency. But at the very moment, she would raise the protest, the thin mask of decency would have been dropped, and it would lead to an, open, ugly fight. Her dignity, her self-respect would be affected, nothing else!

No, she could not do that. at least not in the public place!

The best way to stop these people was, ignore them! Let them say whatever they wish, and don't pay attention! At a time, they would stop themselves.

She left the place, pretending that she had not heard anything, though it took all her will power to act normal. But she could not help but listen to the last words said by them, before leaving.

Sushma- pata nehi kya ho gaya aajkal ke logon ko! Arre jis umar mein dharm-karm, puja-path mein mann lagana chahiye, yeh log tab ishq lada rahe hain! Aur baki ke log bhi sab andhe ho gaye kya? Koi kuch kaheta kyun nehi?

Kaveri- nehi, aisa nehi hai! Mere pati kal hi kah rahe the ki kuch din aur dekhte hain, phir secretary se baat karni padegi! Sharif logon ki society hai bhai, aise logon ko rahne denge toh humare bachhe kya sikhenge?

She did not know how she reached her apartment. Her senses were not working properly. While unlocking the door, she noticed that her hands were trembling.

She ran to her bedroom and threw herself on the bed. It took several minutes for her to calm down a bit. Then her eyes fell on the mirror.

Her mirror-image, who told her "you are beautiful, you look like a queen", not even one hour ago, was now smirking at her. Now she was telling, "You are 51 today. You are old. You are no more beautiful."

She closed her eyes and all those words started echoing in her ears.

"yeh pyaar hai ya kuch aur yeh toh main nehi janti"

"aise rishte mein na koi zimmedari hoti hai, na hi koi expectation"

"is umar mein bhi aisi hai, toh bhari jawani mein kaisi thi"

"jawan beta hai ghar mein…. Uske samne hi yeh sab"

"usko adat hogi"

She opened her eyes, panting.

"sahi toh hai! Apne umar ke hisab se nehi chalogi toh log aisa hi sochenge! Daya sir ne ek phone kya kar diya, tum toh satve(7th) asmaan pe pohunch gayi! Kyun kar rahi ho yeh sab? Kiske liye? Arre pyaar nehi karte woh tumse! Bas insaniyat ke nate thodi humdardi jata rahe hain! Tum dono mein se kisiki bhi ab umar nehi hai yeh sab sochne ki! Aur aaj ki chodo, tum toh yeh bhi nehi janti ki kabhi bhi unhone tumse pyaar kiya tha ya nehi! Toh phir kyun? Jo sapna saalon pahle toot chuka hai, ab kyun us sapno ki duniya mein jee rahi ho? Itne saalon ki aapni kamai hui izzat, humesha sar uthake jeene ki aadat, sab kuch kyun mitti mein mila rahi ho? Apni na sahi, kamse kam apne bachhon ki toh socho! Tumhari waje se aaj unpe bhi ungli uth rahi hai! Kya sochenge woh tumhare bare mein? Aur Daya sir? Woh kya sochenge? Kahin jis pyaar ko tumne itne saalon se apne andar ek kimti hire ki tarah sambhalke rakha, tumhari aaj ki harqat ki wajese, woh duniya ke samne ek mazaq na ban jaye!"

She covered her ears with both hands, but it was of no use. It was her inner voice, she could not stop it.

Her eyes fell on her saree, and she felt a burning sensation, as if something poisonous bit her. She removed it, threw at a corner of the room, and stood there, staring at the mirror with dry, vacant eyes.

When Deepak returned, his mother opened the door, wearing a simple white saree with moss-green border, which she often wore, and in most casual look, no make-up or jewellery.

Jyoti, who was standing beside Deepak, came forward and hugged Shreya.

Jyoti- Happy Birthday maa!

Shreya smiled and caressed her head.

Deepak- maa, dekhiye toh, kaun aaya hai!

Following his gaze, Shreya looked at the staircase, and saw him, coming upstairs. When their eyes met, he gave her a shy yet sweet smile.

She smiled back, but little did he notice, that there was no warmth in her smile.

A/N- so Shreya was upset and Daya did not notice! Men never notice anything. 'sigh!'

Thank you so much for reading, and I am really sorry for the late update. This chapter, I don't like it at all! It took too much time, much more than I have planned, as I had to take several breaks while writing it.

Dear Aash vin, Dear Topaz007, thank you for your pm. I may not be able to reply every time, but it always good to know that people are concerned.

Geet, sweetie, you are one of my favorite reviwers. Your opinion really matters.

Mistic Morning, tomar jonno o ek i kotha!

Thank you all my friends for reading. Stay tuned and please review.


	16. Chapter 16

He should have understood. At least, he should have looked at her once properly. If he was not that excited, if his brain, instead of his heart had a little control over him, he would have understood.

He came forward and held out the rose bouquet, he brought for her, saying "wish you many happy returns of the day Shreya!"

With some effort, she had been able to put a smile on her lips, and took the bouquet, while silently praying that this day may never come again! She knew that today's incidents would haunt her for a long period of time. Those words were still pinching her heart and she could not divert her mind from them.

Jyoti frowned, "maa, yeh kya? Aaj bhi aapne yeh saree pahen rakha?"

Shreya- haan, kyun? Kya burai hai is mein? Main toh yeh saree aksar pahenti hoon.

Jyoti- haan, isliye toh kah rahi hoon! Aaj aapka special day hai, aaj toh aapko kuch aur pahenna chahiye tha!

Shreya (irritated)- Jyoti please! Kya kab se tumlog special day, special day laga rakhe ho! Kisi choti bachhi ka janamdin ho raha hai kya, jo sab itne excited hai!

Jyoti and Deepak both looked at her, startled. They did not expect such reaction. But before they could say anything, Daya said, "nehi Shreya, aisi baat nehi hai! Yeh bachhe toh har baat pe kuch zyada hi excited ho jate hain! Par (pause), tum aise bhi bohot sundar lag rahi ho!"

Unknowingly and unwillingly, she blushed. Till now, the little praise, the little attention made her heart beat faster. She could not help it.

She shook herself back to reality. She won't let herself get carried away anymore! It's weakness! It's Wrong!

Shreya- arre, aise sab bahar hi khade rahenge kya! Chalo, andar chalke baat karte hain! (without looking directly to Daya) aayiye sir!

Shreya entered in the flat, followed by the trio.

Daya felt a bit disappointed. He expected a reaction of his compliment, if not by words, by gesture at least! But why did she ignore it completely? For the first time, he felt in his heart that something was wrong.

But he paid no heed to the feeling. "shayed bachhon ke samne use awkward laga hoga!" he told himself.

They all came to the hall, when Shreya moved to the kitchen and brought them three glasses of water.

Shreya- aaplog baithiye, main abhi aayi! Mujhe kuch kaam hai kitchen mein. (Deepak was about to say something, but Shreya interrupted) khana banane nehi jaa rahi hoon! Kuch aur kaam hai!

She moved to the kitchen and took some deep breaths to control her emotions. Till now, seeing that man, something happened to her! Some deep emotions, which could not be named, took control over her. Why?

She came near the door, and stared to the hall. Three people were present there, but she could see only one! Not for much time, as her vision was blurred by tears. But… No! she gritted her teeth and steadied herself with great effort. She won't allow this weakness anymore. Though her heart was shattered into pieces, she decided what to do.

Everything went normal till lunch. Though Shreya was a bit silent, nobody noticed much a difference. After lunch, Jyoti said that she had a headache, so Shreya told her to take a nap in her bedroom. So she left. Deepak stayed with them in the hall for a while, then said, "arre, main toh bhool hi gaya tha, mera ek bohot zaruri e-mail aanewala tha! aaplog baatein kijiye, main thodi derr mein aata hoon, aapna laptop check karke!"

And he moved to his room.

The time came, for which Daya was waiting and Shreya was afraid of! The alone time!

Both of them had something to say…. But how?

Shreya, sitting exactly opposite of Daya, took some time to arrange the words she needed to say in mind. She must not be rude, but firm. She was not looking at him; her fingers were busy to play with a paper-weight placed on the centre table.

After some moments of silence, Daya softly said, "Shreya, mujhe tumse kuch baat karni hai!"

Shreya looked up, "haan sir, batayiye, kya baat hai!"

Daya (taking a deep breath)- Shreya, main ek faisla lena chahta hoon, jo humein saalon pahle lena chahiye tha! kabhi socha nehi tha ki jo kho gaya hai, kabhi dobara use pane ka mauka milega zindegi mein, lekin agar mila hai toh use humein gawana nehi chahiye!

Shreya (confused)- matlab? Aap kahena kya chahte hain?

Daya- Shreya, main… dekho yeh tum bhi jaanti ho aur main bhi jaanta hoon ki hum dono ke beech kuch hai; jiska koi naam nehi hai! Kyun na is benaam rishte ko ek naam diya jay? Shreya, main tumse… I mean… will you marry me?

Shreya stared at him in stunned silence. Was it all real or was she dreaming? Yes, that was her dream, when she was a youngster, but now? Now when it came true, it appeared to her as a big, cruel joke! She could not be happy, but all she could feel was a raw, helpless anger!

She blinked back the bitter tears which were forming in her eyes, and said in a cold tone, "kya yehi woh zaruri baat thi, jo aap kal raat mujhe batanewale the?"

Daya- haan Shreya, yehi baat thi. Actually…

She stood up, fuming in anger, "aap hosh mein toh hain na? kya bole jaa rahe hain? Is umar mein… jab kuch saalon mein mere bete ki shadi honewali hai, tab main…. Aapne aisa socha bhi kaise? Log kya kahenge yeh toh aapne socha nehi hoga, lekin Mere bachhon ka bhi khayal nehi aaya aapko?"

Daya stared at her, shocked. He knew that it would take time and effort to convince Shreya, but he did not expect such a reaction! She had never been so rude, and as far as he knew, she was still in love with him!

Daya- nehi Shreya, log kya kahenge , yeh khayal mere dimag mein nehi aaya, kyun ki logon ki baaton ka parwa na main ne kabhi kee hai, na hi tumne! Aur hum koi gunah toh nehi kar rahe hain! Toh phir darr kis baat ka? Aur jahan taq baat Deepak aur Jyoti ki hai, trust me, mere liye bhi woh dono utne hi important hain, jitna tumhare liye! Par mujhe pura yakeen hai, ki unko is baat se koi problem nehi hogi!

Shreya- achha, toh yeh bhi aap ne tay kar liya ki unko problem nehi hogi? Aur sir, gunah na sahi, lekin yeh galat zarur hai! Har faisla lene ka ek sahi waqt hota hai! Agar woh waqt beet jay, toh woh faisla bhi sahi nehi rahta! Aur baat agar sirf Deepak ki hoti toh, phir bhi kuch socha jaa sakta tha, lekin Jyoti? Kya sochegi woh mere bare mein?

Daya- Shreya please! Baki sabki chodo, aur mujhe sirf yeh batao ki tum kya chahti ho? Tumhe lagta hai ki bachhe tumhe galat samjhenge, aur mujhe yakeen hai ki aisa nehi hoga, so leave it! Is baat ka faisla hum baad mein un dono se discuss karke kar sakte hain! Filhaal tumhari baat karo Shreya. kya tumhe yeh rishta manzoor hai?

She stared at him for a few seconds, then said in a straight tone, "nehi!"

Daya stared, blankly. He made a castle in dream, in a sudden blow, it shattered like a house of cards. He tried to say something, but all of a sudden, his throat was bone-dry.

Shreya started to speak again, but her voice was trembling. The long-journey of her life, all the memories of her struggle, her helplessness, humiliation, everything was coming back to him, causing her to suffocate.

"kyun karoon main shadi aapse? Kya hai hum dono ke beech? Kuch bhi toh nehi! Pyaar karte hain aap mujhse? Nehi na? mera dil rakhne ke liye jhooth bolne ki zarurat nehi hai sir, main jaanti hoon! Abhi abhi aapne kaha ki kuch aisa hai, jiska koi naam nehi! 'pyaar', yeh dhai akshar ke labz toh aaj bhi aapke muh se nehi nikla mere liye! Kyun ki yeh pyaar toh hai hi nehi! Main jaanti hoon woh kya hai! Sympathy! Aapko taras aata hai mujhpe, hai na? ki bichari akeli hai, pati ne dhokha diya, zindegi se kuch nehi mila, kyun, yehi hai na? isliye sahara dena chahte aap mujhe?"

Daya tried to say, "Shreya, yeh tum kya kah rahi ho? Main aisa…", but she stopped him.

"aaj toh kya, aap ne kabhi bhi mujhse pyaar nehi kiya! Us din bhi, jab mere aankho mein aapko lekar hazaron sapna tha! Agar kiya hota, toh," she blinked back the tears again, "toh aap meri shadi kabhi us Siddharth ke sath hone hi nehi dete! Aaj meri zindegi kuch aur hi hota! Aur ab aap badi asani se kah diya, ki jo faisla saalon pahle lena chahiye tha, chalo koi baat nehi, ab le lete hain!"

Now Daya also felt insulted, "Shreya, Siddharth se shadi karne ka faisla tumhara tha! main tumhe kaise rokhta?"

Shreya- par main ne toh aapka intezaar kiya na? kahin dino se yeh jatane ki koshish kee thi ki main aapko chahti hoon! Lekin aap ne kya kiya? Mujhe toh mere family ke khatir us rishte ke liye manna pada, par aapki kya majboori thi?

Daya was about to say something, but stopped. After a moment of silence, he said in a tired voice, as if a drowning man trying to find something to hold, "thik hai, galti meri hi hai! Us waqt main tumhara toh kya, aapne dil ko bhi nehi samajh paya! Par aaj jab main us galati ko sudharna chahta hoon, tab… kyun Shreya? meri baat chodo, tum toh mujhse bohot pyaar karti ho na? ek din tum hi ne kaha tha na, ki agar main sath raha toh tum koi bhi dard sah sakti ho? Kuch bhi kar sakti ho mere liye?"

A smile appeared on her face, not an expression of joy, but a smile full of pain, "kaha tha sir. Par woh kab ki baat hai? Kitna waqt beeta hai uske baad? Agar garm lohe ko bhi aap aise hi pade rahne denge, toh ek samay woh thanda ho hi jayega, aur yeh toh insaan ka dil hai! Kab badal jata hai, use khud bhi pata nehi chalta!"

It was more than enough to bear. He felt a sharp pain piercing his chest! Life had not been so kind to him, he knew how it feels when a dream shatters, but this feeling, he never imagined of! For a second, he tried to think that it's a nightmare, but no! It's reality! It's the bitter truth that Shreya was not in love with him! So his love for her, did not matter anymore!

He felt so cheated, so humiliated! As if he brought flowers to worship God, and someone just smashed them beneath her feet. He was angry, not with anyone else, but with himself.

"kya zarurat thi aapne aapko aise zalil karne ki? Pyaar ne toh humesha se sirf dhokha hi diya tumko, phir bhi chayan nehi mili? Kya zarurat thi uske dil mein kya hai yeh jaane bina, kisi aur ki baaton mein aakar aapne dil ki baat uske samne laane ki? Aur abhitaq yahan khade kyun ho? Aur bhi kuch baki hai sunne ko?"

Yes, something was left to be heard.

"please sir, mujhe mere haal par chod dijiye! Main janti hoon ki aapka dil bohot bada hai, aur aap ne bohot kuch kiya bhi! Lekin ab mujhe aapka ahsaan aur nehi chahiye!" she took a deep breath, and said, "waise bhi, aaj main ne tay kar hi liya tha ki aapse kahungi ki, aapka baar-baar yahan ana-jana thik nehi hai, log tarah tarah ki baatein karte hain! Bas soch rahi ki kaise kahun! Ab mauka mila hai, toh bata hi deti hoon ki…"

"Yeh aap kya kah rahi hain Maa?"

Both of them looked back, startled.

None of them noticed when Deepak and Jyoti came out of the room, watching them in stunned silence. But now Deepak could not take it anymore, and almost shouted in protest.

Though it was an awkward situation, the conversation was not meant to be heard by the kids, but Shreya controlled herself quickly.

Shreya- Deepak, yeh humara niji mamla hai, tumhe beech mein bolne ki zarurat nehi hai!

Deepak stared at her for a moment, then shook his head in disappointment. He looked at Daya, who was ready to leave.

Deepak- Daya uncle, I'm… I'm so sorry… yeh sab meri wajese hua! Agar mujhe zara bhi andaza hota ki aisa kuch honewala hai, toh main kabhi bhi…

Daya looked at him. Deepak could not understand what was there in his eyes! Was it anger? Was it complaint? Or it's just blankness, the expression of a man, who lost his everything?

He did not say anything to Deepak. He just said, without looking at Shreya, "shayed aaj ke baad hum dobara kabhi nehi milenge! Toh jaate jaate ek baat bata doon, jo pyaar karta hai, us pe kabhi yeh ilzaam mat lagao ki woh ahsaan kar raha hai! Bohot taqleef hoti hai!"

And he left, without waiting for an answer.

For once, Deepak thought to follow him, but then stopped. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face his mother.

Shreya was staring at him in a strange manner.

Shreya- kya kaha tumne abhi abhi? Tumhari wajese kya hua?

Deepak bit his lip, "haan, meri wajese! Daya uncle se main ne hi kaha tha ki aap aaj bhi unko chahti hai! Main ne unhe force kiya tha, aapke sath ek naya rishta jodne ke bare mein sochne ke liye!"

Shreya kept staring disbelievingly. 'Shocked' was a very small word to describe her condition right now. Actually she herself could not tell how she was feeling! All she managed to say, "kyun?"

Deepak- kyun ki woh aapse bohot pyaar karte hain! Aur main jaanta hoon ki aap bhi unse…

Shreya (shouted)- Shut up Deepak! Bohot bada ho gaya tu? Bohot kuch samajhne laga hai aajkal? Sharam nehi aati aapni maa ke bare mein yeh sab kahte huye?

Deepak- pyaar karna koi gunah nehi hai maa, jo sharam aayegi! Aur aisa pyaar, jiske liye do log puri zindegi ek dusre ke intezaar mein jee lete hain! Batayiye, kya mere bachpan mein, aapka unke photo dekhkar raat raat bhar rona, woh jhooth tha? kya aaj bhi ek dusre ko dekhke aap dono ke aankho mein jo chamak aa jati hai, woh jhooth hai? Aapko toh woh nehi dikhta maa, lekin humein dikhta hai! Aise pyaar ko leke garv mahsoos hona chahiye, sharam nehi! Aur phir bhi, agar aap unse shadi nehi karna chahti, aapka koi personal reason ho, toh thik hai! Yeh aapka niji mamla hai, koi is mein dakhalandaazi nehi karega! Lekin yeh baat aap waise bhi bata sakti thi, is tarah unki beizzati karne ki kya zarurat thi?

Shreya- achha! Yehi sawal main tumse poochti hoon Deepak, tumhe kya zarurat thi is tarah meri beizzati karne ki? Tumne socha bhi kaise, ki main, is umar mein, aisa koi faisla loongi? Aur agar liya, toh consequence kya hoga uska, yeh socha hai? Daya sir yahan aksar aate hain, bas itni si baat ko lekar log kya kya baatein kar rahe hain, pata hai tumhe? Aaj jab main super-market gayi thi…(she stopped mid-way. Just remembering the incidents, she was feeling sick).

Deepak- toh? is mein nayi baat kya hai? Log toh pahle bhi humare bare mein bohot kuch kahte the, jab hum Bangalore mein the! Aap ne kab se aisi baaton ko ahmiyaat dene lage?

Shreya- achha, matlab log baatein karte hain, toh unhe aur baatein karne ka mauka diya jay, kyun?

Deepak- maa, logon ko maza aata hai dusron ke bare mein ulta-sidha kahte huye! Jitni mooh utni baatein! Lekin aapki khushi ke aage, yeh important nehi hai ki kaun kya kahta hai, kya sochta hai!

Shreya burst out, "tumhe waqei meri khushi ki itni chinta hai? Ya aapni khushi ke liye yeh sab kar rahe ho? Ta kit um jab aapna ghar basaoge, tab maa ki zimmedari na uthana pade? Agar aisi baat hai toh saaf-saaf bata dete! Main kabhi kisi ka bojh nehi banna chahti!"

Deepak stared at her, shocked, heartbroken! How could his mother think of him like this?

Jyoti looked at them both and came forward, "maa, aap galat samajh rahi hain! Deepak ne aisa…"

Shreya- tumhe koi zarurat nehi hai mujhe samjhane ki! Main aapne bete se baat kar rahi hoon, tumhe yeh haq kisne diya humesha beech mein bolne ki?

This time, her own words left her shell-shocked. What did she just say?

Jyoti also was hurt, but said calmly, "haq toh aap hi ne diya tha maa, jis din ek anath ladki ko, aapko 'maa' kahne ka haq diya! Usi haq se kah rahi hoon, abhi aapko meri baat sunni hi hogi! Uske baad agar aap nehi chahti, toh I promise, main aapko kabhi kuch nehi kahungi!

Maa, kya Deepak ki baat galat hai? Kya yeh pahli baar hai ki kisine aapko, ya aapke bare mein kuch kaha? Ek akeli aurat, ek single mother ko aaj bhi society mein kya kya face karna padta hai, is baat ka andaza hai mujhe! Aapne toh kabhi un bebuniyaad baaton ka parwa nehi kiya! Aise logon ke beech bhi aapne humesha sar uthake jiya! Yeh kaam asaan nehi hai, magar aap ne kar dikhaya! Toh phir aaj kya hua? Aaj kisine kuch kaha toh aap itna upset kyun ho rahi hain? Kya woh isliye, ki aaj unki baaton mein kahin na kahin sachhai hai?

Maa, mujhe galat mat samajhna! Main nehi janti ki aapke sath exactly kya hua, lekin main andaza laga sakti hoon. Aapke aur Daya uncle ke rishte ko lekar kisine kuch comment kiya hoga, hai na? (Shreya bit her lip, but did not answer. Jyoti started again, after a pause) kya asal mein baat yeh hai, ki unki nazariya galat hai, par unki baat jhooth nehi? (with a sad smile) koi jhootha ilzaam lagata hai, toh hum use nazar-andaaz kar sakte hai, magar kisike baaton se agar woh sachhai samne aa jay, jise hum inkaar karna chahte hain, toh woh sah pana mushkil hai, hai na!

Aap is baat se inkaar karna chahti hain, par sachhai yehi hai ki aap aaj bhi Daya uncle se pyaar karti hain! Saalon pahle aapne jo sapna dekha tha, woh aaj bhi aapke dil mein zinda hai! Unke sath rahne mein hi aapki khushi hai, yeh baat hum sab jaante hain, par aap manne ko taiyaar hi nehi! Kyun maa?

Kya aapko yeh lagta hai ki, agar aap ne apni khushi ke or ek kadam badhaya, toh humare dil mein aapke liye respect kam ho jayega? Nehi maa, ulta humein aap pe garv hoga, agar aap yeh himmat kar paye toh! aur jahantaq bahar ke logon ki baat hai, toh kya farq padta hai maa, ki kaun kya kahega, kya sochega? Logon ki toh aadat hai dusro ke pith piche baatein karne ki, unki galatiyaan nikalne ki! Jab aap kuch galat nehi kar rahi hai toh darr kis baat ka?

She stopped for a few seconds, waiting for an answer. But Shreya stood like a statue, without saying a single word, without making eye-contact to either of them.

Jyoti (sigh)- asliyat toh yeh hai maa, ki aap aapne pyaar ko, jo aapki sabse badi taqat hai, use apni kamzori samajh rahi hain! Kyun ki aaj, itne saalon mein pahli baar, aap aapni khushi ke bare mein soch rahi hain! Maa, humare samaj mein ladkiyon ko humesha yeh sikhaya jata hai ki woh ek beti hai, biwi hai, bahu hai, maa hai! Kabhi yeh nehi sikhaya jata ki woh bhi ek insaan hai aur use bhi khush rahne ka haq hai! Aapne parivaar ke liye jeena, unke liye sacrifice karna, unke prati apna farz nibhana bohot badi baat hoti hai, lekin uske liye apni sari khoyaishon ka gala ghotna, yeh sahi nehi hai maa! Thoda sa waqt, thodi si zindegi insaan ko apne liye bhi jeena chahiye, khas kar jab usse kisika koi nuksaan na ho! Warna, ho sakta hai ki, humesha dusro ke liye jeenewala insaan, ek din bilkul akela ho jay! Jin logon ke liye usne apni puri zindegi kurban kee, ho sakta hai woh log us kurbani ko samjhe hi na! batayiye na, kya aapke mata-pita ne samjha? Ki unke khatir aap apni khushiyan kurbaan kar rahi hain? Aapke pati ya sosuralwalo ne samjha? Phir bhi aap ne apni zindegi ka sara farz nibhaya! Apne bete ke liye, sirf maa nehi, maa-baap dono ka farz nibhaya! Aur aaj agar aap apni zindegi ke bare kuch sochti hai, toh kya galat hai is mein? Jinke yaadon ko, jinke tasveeron ko aap apne akele zindegi jeene ka sahara bana liya, aaj unko kyun apnana nehi chahti aap? Unke liye aapka pyaar tab galat nehi tha, toh aaj galat kaise ho gaya?

Daya uncle aap se bohot pyaar karte hain maa! Shayed woh kabhi kah nehi paye, par unki aankho mein dikhta hai! Khair, mujhe jo kahena tha, main ne kaha! Age aapki marzi!

Saying that, Jyoti slowly moved towards the door. Deepak also followed her, but stopped at the entrance of the flat, and turned to Shreya.

Deepak- aapke bina, meri koi bhi khushi adhuri hai maa! Aapke bina main jeene ke bare mein soch bhi nehi sakta! Mere is baat pe aap yakeen kar sakti hain, main jhooth nehi bol raha hoon!

And they left.

Once again, she was alone. Once again, she had to face herself!

She closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the sofa. A stray tear rolled down her cheek. She could not take it anymore!

All the incidents happened since morning started replaying in front of her closed eyes. She did not want to think anything right now, but Jyoti's were echoing in her ears.

What did she say? She was considering her love as her weakness? Yes, she was, but not because she was afraid that it would affect her reputation in society! It's because she was in love with a person, who never loved him!

A relation can't be based on one-sided love! And which she found more humiliating, he was still ready to get married to her! Why would not she think that he was pitying her?

But…

What did they say?

"kyun ki woh aapse bohot pyaar karte hain"

"Daya uncle aapse bohot pyaar karte hain maa, shayed kabhi kah nehi paye; lekin unki aankho mein dikhta hai!"

Why did her children think that he loved her? What if… what if she was wrong about him?

What did he say, before leaving?

"jo pyaar karta hai, us pe kabhi yeh ilzaam mat lagao ki woh ahsaan kar raha hai! Bohot taqleef hoti hai!"

Why did he say that?

The hurt face flashed in front of her eyes. What if she had committed another mistake?

She closed her eyes tightly, trying hard to keep the thoughts out of her mind, when a sound startled her.

Her mind was so disturbed that she could not locate the sound at first. After a few seconds she understood, it was the doorbell.

Slowly and unwillingly, she made her way towards the door.

Opening the door, she was left completely stunned. She did not expect this person here, in her wildest imagination.

All she could manage to say, "aap?"

A/N- thanks to all my readers and reviewers for your valuable time and opinions, and sorry for being late.

2-3 chapters more to go, so please stay tuned, and don't forget to review!


	17. Chapter 17

The Person- kya hua? Pahchana nehi?

Shreya composed herself, "nehi sir, kaisi baat kar rahe hain! Main bas thoda chaunk gayi, isliye… par aap yahan achanak, kaise?

Person- ab sari baatein yahan khade rahke hi karni hai? Andar nehi bulaogi?

Shreya- oh, I am sorry, aayiye please!

He entered in the flat, and Shreya led him to the hall after closing the door.

Shreya- aap baithiye na, please.

Person- hmm.

He took a seat, so did Shreya.

Person- tum ghar pe akeli ho kya?

Shreya- haan, is waqt mera beta ghar pe nehi hai, toh akeli hi hoon! (brief pause) par aap ne bataya nehi **Abhijeet Sir,** aapka kaise aana hua?

Abhijeet- Shreya woh… main tumse kuch baat karna chahta hoon, isliye!

Her entire body got stiffened immediately, "kya Daya sir ne kaha aapko, yahan aane ke liye?"

Abhijeet stared at her for a few seconds, "nehi Shreya! haan, yahan ka address Daya se zarur pata chala, par usne mujhe yahan aane ke liye nehi kaha! In fact, use pata bhi nehi hai ki main yahan aaya hoon. (when Shreya did not say anything in reply) tum jaanti ho Shreya, main jhooth nehi bolta!

Shreya felt a bit ashamed and hurriedly said, "nehi sir, main ne aisa kab kaha? Batayiye, aapko kya baat karni hai!"

Abhijeet- woh…. Achha, pahle yeh batao ki Daya ne tumse kuch kaha?

Shreya- kuch kaha… matlab? Kis bare mein?

Abhijeet- Daya bata raha tha ki use jald hi tumse baat karni hai, toh abhitaq kuch kaha nehi?

Shreya (without looking at him)- wohi toh main pooch rahi hoon sir, kis bare mein baat karni thi unko?

Abhijeet sighed. This game must be ended. It's clear from Shreya's attitude that she understood very well, what he was talking about! But she was not ready to speak.

Abhijeet (in a straight tone)- apni zindegi ke bare mein. Usne kaha ki use ek faisla leni hai, jo agar usne saalon pahle liya hota, toh aaj kahin sari zindegiyan kuch aur hoti! Par use lagta hai ki, aaj bhi us galati ko sudhara ja sakta hai!

Shreya took some deep breaths to control herself once again, then said in a cold tone, "toh aapke dost ne aapko yeh nehi bataya ki is bare mein meri kya ray hai?"

Abhijeet (bit surprised)- nehi, uske baad usse koi baat nehi hui, par…

Shreya cut him off, "koi baat nehi! Main hi bata deti hoon! Yeh zindegi hai sir, kisi film ki shooting nehi! Yahan koi re-take nehi hota! Jo galati saalon pahle hui thi, ab use sudhara nehi ja sakta! Aur rahi baat faisle ki toh, hum hote kaun hain faisla lenewale? Shayed humare kismat ko yehi manzoor tha! aur kismat ke faisle ko toh hum badal nehi sakte na!

Abhijeet took some time to speak, "sahi kaha Shreya, kismat ke faisle ko hum badal nehi sakte! Lekin sirf kismat ke bharose jee bhi toh nehi sakte na? warna insaan ke paas toh age badhne ke liye, zindegi se koi ummeed rakhne ke liye, koi mauka hi nehi bachega! Aur, kismat ko kya manzoor hai, yeh hum insaan aksar samajh bhi nehi paate Shreya! tum khud socho, tum dono ki kismat ne itne saalon baad tum dono ko phir milwaya hi kyun?"

Shreya (in a tired voice)- toh aap mujhe yehi samjhane aaye hain?

Abhijeet was about to say something, but stopped. He could sense that something was wrong! He stayed silent for a moment, then said, "nehi Shreya! main tumhe kuch samjhane nehi aaya! Yeh tumhari zindegi hai, iska faisla bhi tumko hi karna hai! Mujhe beech mein bolne ka koi haq toh hai nehi! Main bas, tumhe kuch dene aaya hoon."

Shreya looked at him, confused, "mujhe? Woh kya sir?"

Abhijeet slowly took out an envelope from the inner pocket of his coat, "yeh, tumhari amaanat, kafi saalon se pada hai mere paas! Kabhi socha nehi tha ki yeh tumhe dene ka mauka milega, lekin phir bhi sambhalke rakha tha!"

In utter confusion, she took the envelope from his hand.

It contained an old, yellowish paper, a letter addressed to her. She checked the date, mentioned in the right corner of the letter. It was 3 months earlier than her wedding.

Shreya (astound)- yeh toh bohot purani chitthi hai! Kisne likha yeh…

Abhijeet did not say anything, just kept staring at her.

She could hear her own heart-beats. In almost trembling hands, she held the letter as firmly as she could, and started to read.

 _Dear Shreya,_

 _Ek bohot zaruri baat batane ke liye yeh letter likh raha hoon. I am sorry, mujhe maloom hai ki yeh baat agar main direct tumse kah pata, toh tum zyada khush hoti! Par kya Karin, main koi romantic kism ka aadmi toh hoon nehi, mujhe kahan aata hai yeh sab baatein karna! Aur sach kahoon toh, mujhe darr bhi lagta hai, ki kahin baat karne jaun, aur mujhse koi gadbad ho jay, toh? tum samajh rahi ho na?_

 _Shreya, sab kahte hain ki, jo log pyaar karte hain, unhe ek dusre ki aankho ki bhasha samajh mein aati hai. Zuban se kuch kahne ki zarurat hi nehi padti! Kya yeh sach hai Shreya? kya meri aankho mein kya hai, yeh tumhari samajh mein aati hai? I know, abhi tum yehi sawal mujhse poochna chahogi na? haan Shreya, tum toh kabhi kuch kahti nehi, lekin tumhari aankhein bohot kuch bata deti hain! Batao na, kya main jo samajhta hoon, woh sahi hai?_

 _Jis din pahli baar tumko dekha tha, ek ajeeb sa, bohot hi alag sa feel hua tha! aisa laga jaise main tumhe bohot pahle se jaanta hoon! Kya ise hi 'Love at First Sight' kahte hai? Mujhe nehi pata, par yeh kuch aisa hai, jo isse pahle kabhi nehi hua!_

 _Aur ab, jab bhi tum paas hoti ho na Shreya, dil mein ek ajeeb sa sukoon mahsoos hota hai! Ek long, hectic day ke baad, bas ek bar tumhara chehra dikh jay, chehre pe aapne aap ek muskaan aa jati hai! Pure din mein ek baar bhi agar tumse nehi mila na Shreya, bohot bechaini si hone lagti hai! Agar yeh pyaar hai, toh, haan main tumse pyaar karta hoon!_

 _Ab tum poochogi ki yeh baat kahne mein main ne itna waqt kyun liya! Shreya, isse pahle bhi main kisike sath involved tha! woh bhi ek nehi, do baar! Haan, yeh sach hai, ki un ladkiyon se main ne kabhi pyaar nehi kiya, lekin yeh baat tab mujhe khud maloom nehi tha! woh toh tumse milne ke baad, pasand aur pyaar mein farq samajh mein aaya! Lekin tum jaanti ho, main jo bhi karta hoon, puri imaandari ke sath hi karta hoon! Un rishton mein bhi main aapni taraf se puri tarah committed tha! lekin… mujhe toh zakham ke siwa kuch nehi mila! Aur aapna yeh toota hua, zakhmi dil ko kisi ke samne kholne ki ab himmat hi nehi hoti!_

 _Par jab Abhijeet ke muh se suna ki tumhari shadi ki baat chal rahi hai, tab aisa laga ki aur derr nehi kar sakta main! Shreya tum kisi aur ki ho jaogi, yeh khayaal bhi mere liye bardast kar pana mushkil hai! I know, it sounds jealous, par yehi sach hai! Main tumhe khona nehi chahta Shreya! isliye, ek baar phir aapne kismat pe bharosa kar raha hoon!_

 _Mujhse shadi karogi Shreya?_

 _Yaad hai, us din jab Ahmedabad mein, tumko aur tumhari family ko rescue karne aaya tha, kitne viswas ke sath hath pakad ke rakha tha tumne mera? waise hi, kya puri zindegi ke liye, mera hath thama logi?_

 _Tumhare jawab ka intezaar rahega._

 _Daya._

It was written 'tumhara Daya' at first, but then he changed his mind and wrote on 'Daya' only.

Slowly, the letter dropped from her trembling hands, but she did not notice! She did not notice when her vision was blurred and tears came flooding out!

Whatever happened since morning, wasn't enough for a day? She could not take anymore! Her nerves almost gave up!

It took great effort to gain control over herself, and she spoke in a heavy voice, "yeh letter… yeh aapke paas kahan se aaya sir?"

Abhijeet (looking another direction)- yeh… Daya ne mujhe diya tha, tum taq ponhuchane ke liye! Woh khud jaane mein sharma raha tha… tum jaanti ho na, kitna shy tha woh… mera matlab abhi bhi hai!

Getting no reply, he looked at Shreya. she was staring at him in a strange manner.

Shreya (in a trembling voice)- toh phir aapne mujhe diya kyun nehi?

Abhijeet sighed, "main aaya tha tumhare ghar, tumhe yeh dene ke liye! Magar tumhare dad ne rokh liya!

Shreya frowned, "papa? Kyun?"

Abhijeet stared at her for a second, then softly said, "woh isliye kyun ki, woh nehi chahte the ki tum dono ek dusre ke karib aao! Unko tumhari shadi kisi amir khandan mein karana tha! isliye unhone Siddharth ko chuna. But believe me Shreya, yeh baat mujhe tab maloom nehi tha! agar mujhe pata hota, toh main unki baat kabhi nehi manta! Lekin jis tarah unhone mujhe rokha tha tumse baat karne se…"

Shreya- kya kaha unhone aapse?

Abhijeet- woh… unhone kaha ki, unko kisi majboori ke karan tumhari aur Siddharth ki shadi ke liye manna pada! Kyunki, Siddharth ke pita ka bohot sara karz tha unpar, jo unhone tumhari maa ke ilaj ke liye liya tha! unhone kaha ki agar tumne shadi karne se mana kar diya, toh woh sara paisa wapas mang sakte hain, jo lautana unke liye possible nehi!

Main ne kaha unse, ki baat agar sirf paison ki hai, toh hum unki madat kar sakte hain! Toh unhone bataya ki sirf 2-3 mahine ki baat hai, itne mein woh paison ka arrangement kar lenge! Uske baad main tumko yeh letter de sakta hoon! Uske baad agar tum chaho toh, woh yeh rishta tod denge! Jis tarah unhone mujhe request kiya, main mana nehi kar paya!

Shreya stared at him disbelievingly, "par aisa kaise ho sakta hai sir? Itni badi baat, aur mujhe maloom nehi? Nehi sir, aapko zarur koi galatfehmi hui hogi! Papa ne Siddharth ke Pita se koi karza nehi liya!" she stopped suddenly, realizing the entire story behind the incident.

Abhijeet was staring at her, "jaanta hoon! Lekin sach mein, us waqt mujhe zara bhi andaza nehi tha, ki woh itna bada jhooth bol sakte hain! Jab tumhari sagai ho gayi, tab pahli baar mujhe shaq hua unpe! Phir main ne pata lagaya, to pata chala ki asal mein aisi koi baat nehi hai! Lekin tabtaq, tumhari shadi ki sari tayiariyan ho chuki thi! Main chahkar bhi kuch nehi kar paya!"

Shreya closed her eyes. She had little respect or love left for her parents, but right now all she could feel, was complete hatred.

Shreya- phir bhi sir, aap agar ek baar mujhse baat karte…

Abhijeet- haan, main ne bhi yehi kaha tha Daya se! ki ek baar mujhe Shreya se baat karne do! Phir uska jo faisla hoga so hoga, lekin kam se kam use sachhi ka pata toh hoga! aur mujhe bhi , zindegi bhar dil pe ek bojh lekar jeena toh nehi padega! Lekin usne mujhe rokh liya! Aur aj taq, main Daya ko kisi baat ke liye mana nehi kar paya, tum toh jaanti ho!

A shadow of mixed emotions passed over her face. She asked in a heavy voice, "kyun kiya unhone aisa?"

Abhijeet took some time to answer, "is 'kyun' ka jawab shayed tumhare paas bhi hai Shreya! Daya ko tum bhi jaanti ho! Apni zindegi ke kahin saal usne bilkul akele bitaya! Koi nehi tha jisse woh khulkar baat kar sake, kuch share kar sake! Maa-baap ko bachpan mein hi kho diya, bade hone ke baad bhai-bahen se bhi woh nata nehi raha! Unka rasta alag ho gaya, un dono ne apni duniya bana liya, apna sansaar basa liya, uske liye kisi ne nehi rukha! Pyaar hua, toh bhi sirf dhokha hi mila! Main jaanta hoon, andar se kitna toot gaya tha woh! Kisike kareeb aane se darr lagta tha use! Bahar se sab ko lagta tha ki ek tough cop hote huye bhi woh bohot shy hai, introvert hai! Lekin baat sirf itni nehi! Apne charo taraf usne ek invisible boundary bana liya, jise cross karna kisike liye, na-mumkin toh nehi, lekin mushkil zarur tha. phir bhi, main ne us deewar ko cross kiya Shreya! koshish karti toh shayed tum bhi kar sakti thi!"

Shreya looked up for a split second. She could hear the silent accusation behind his words, but did not say anything.

Abhijeet continued, "meri aur Daya ki dosti ke bare mein, humari bonding ke bare mein sab jaante hain! Lekin bohot kam log yeh jaante hain ki yeh rishta ek din mein nehi bana! Ek aisi ghadi meri zindegi mein bhi aayi thi, jab main ne apna sab kuch kho diya, yahantaq ki main khood, apne aapse bichad gaya! Un dino mein, jab puri duniya mera sath chod diya, sirf Daya hi tha, jisne mujhe sambhala! Main nehi jaanta ki usne aisa kyun kiya! Aaj woh mere liye jaan de sakta hai, yeh baat main samajh sakta hoon, lekin tab? Shayed woh main hi tha, pahli baar jisse apnapan jatane mein use darr nehi laga! Jisse kuch pane ki ummeed hi na ho, use khone ka darr kaisa? Us waqt toh Daya ko bhi main bardaast nehi kar sakta tha! use apne se dur karne ki har mumkin koshish karta rahta tha! lekin usne haar nehi maani! Mujhe jo yeh normal life wapas mila na, iski sabse badi wajah Daya hi hai! Har rishte ko thoda waqt dena padta hai Shreya! thoda sa dheeraj, thodi humdardi, bas!"

Shreya was about to say something, but Abhijeet cut her off, "khair, yeh sab janna tumhare liye zaruri nehi! Main sirf isliye kaha, kyun ki agar uske bare mein pata ho, toh tumhare sawal ka jawab bhi mil jayega! Jab main ne use kareeb se dekha, tab pata chala ki yehi uski adaat hai! Use aapne aapko express karna nehi aata. Main ne kahin baar use samjhane ki koshish bhi kee, ki Daya, tumhari isi aadat ke wajese log tumhe galat samajh sakte hain! Lekin… woh toh aisa hi hai! Sara dard akele sah sakta hai woh, sari taqleef akele bardast kar sakta hai, lekin kabhi kisise kuch mang nehi sakta! Chahe us cheez pe uska haq hi kyun na ho!

Jab tumhari shadi tay ho gayi, woh bohot hurt hua tha! bohot naraz tha woh, tumse nehi, aapne aapse hi! Use laga ki, tumhe samajhne mein usne galati kar di, tum usse pyaar nehi karti! Use waqei laga, ki tumhe Siddharth pasand hai, uske sath tum khush rahogi! Tumse tumhari khushiyan kaise cheen sakta tha woh?

Aur usse bhi badi baat, woh nehi chahta tha ki tumhare aapne mata-pita ki sachhai kabhi tumhare samne aaye! sar pe ma-baap ka saya hona kitni badi baat hai, yeh usse bahtar kaun jan sakta hai? Yeh sahara nehi cheen sakta tha woh tumse! Shreya, woh maa-baap badnaseeb toh hote hi hain, jinke bachhe unka izzat nehi karte, lekin woh bachhe usse bhi badnaseeb hote hain, jo aapne maa-baap ka izzat nehi kar paate! Daya kabhi nehi chahta tha, ki tumhare mom-dad, tumhare nazro mein gir jay! Isliye, woh chup raha, aur aapne dil ko yehi kahkar tasalli di, ki unlogo ne jhooth zarur kaha hai, magar tumhari khushi ke liye hi kaha! Toh…"

Shreya looked up. Her eyes were red and puffy, tears dried on her cheeks. She had no energy left, not even to cry!

Her voice choked, "kya faida hua sir yeh sab karke? Unhone itna kuch soch liya, magar ek baar, sirf ek baar mujhse poochna zaruri nehi samjha ki meri khushi kis mein hai! Haan thik hai, main galat thi unke bare mein! Har kisi mein aankho ki bhasha samajhne ki kabiliyat nehi hoti, mujh mein bhi nehi hai! Mujhe unke mooh se hi sunna tha, ki woh mujhe chahte hain! Chaliye, main nehi samajh payi, lekin unko toh sab samajh mein aata tha na? toh phir… kyun sir? Kyun kiya aaplogon ne aisa? Kisiko bhi koi faida nehi hua sir yeh sab karke! Kya main khush rah payi Siddharth ke sath? Kya mere maa-baap ka asli chehra mere samne nehi aaya? Unlogon ne kabhi meri khushi ke liye kuch nehi kiya sir, jo kiya sirf aapne swarth ke liye kiya! Sach kabhi zyada din chup nehi sakta sir, yeh Daya sir ko sochna chahiye tha! nehi bacha paye woh mujhe yeh kadwa sach janne se! aur aap sir? Mere dad ki baat manna meri majboori thi, aapki toh nehi? Aap kyun chup rahe?

Khair, jo hua, uske liye main aapne kismat ke ilawa kisiko blame nehi karna chahti! Lekin sir, ab kyun? Aaj itne saalon baad, kya zarurat thi mujhe sachhai batane ki? Main ne toh akele jeena sikh liya tha! meri is akeli zindegi mein dard tha, lekin koi guilt nehi thi! Pata hai aapko, main aajtaq yeh sochti aayi hoon ki main ne aapni puri zindegi mein sirf aur sirf ek insaan se pyaar kiya, woh bhi yeh jante huye, ki woh mujhse pyaar nehi karta! Unse koi shikhayet nehi thi meri, kyun ki pyaar zabardasti nehi hota! Haan, Is baat ka bura lagta tha ki woh kyun mujhse pyaar nehi karte, magar aapne pyaar ko lekar ek ghamand bhi thi! Usi ke sahare toh sar uthake jeeti aayi hoon aaj taq! Par aaj… aaj aapne yeh sochne ke liye majboor kar diya ki kahin na kahin mere pyaar mein bhi kami thi! Warna main unko samajh kyun nehi payi! Woh bhi tab, jab main ne unko humesha ke liye kho diya! Aab aapni baki ki zindegi ke liye kya rah gaya sir, batayiye?"

Abhijeet stared at her, confused, "humesha ke liye kho diya… kya matlab hai tumhara?"

Shreya hid her face between both palms, and couldn't answer.

Abhijeet (softly)- Shreya!

Getting no reply, he sighed and called in a calm yet firm tone, "Shreya, meri taraf dekho!"

The signature-voice of Senior Inspector Abhijeet! No one could refuse to obey it.

Abhijeet asked in a soft tone, "kya Daya yahan aaya tha? kuch hua tum dono ke beech? Please, batao mujhe!"

Slowly, she narrated the whole incident. Though it was difficult, as the hurt face was flashing repeatedly in front of her eyes, pinching her heart, but surprisingly, after finishing, she felt a strange sooth. She did not know that she was craving to share the pain with someone.

Abhijeet stayed silent for a few minutes, then took out his mobile.

While dialing a number, he said in a determined tone, "Daya ko phone laga raha hoon. Baat karo usse."

Shreya- nehi sir, main kaise… I mean, itna sab kuch hone ke baad main kya kahungi unse!

Abhijeet cut her off, "Shreya, tum dono ke beech job hi kuch hua hai, woh kisi ki galati nehi, galatfehmi ke wajese hua hai! Aur yeh galatfehmi dur karna bohot zaruri hai, tum dono ke liye! Ek dusre ko galat samajh ke, humesha aapne dil ki awaaz ko chup karate aaye ho tum dono! Bas, ab aur nehi! Aage jo faisla lena hai, so lena hai, lekin abhi ke liye, baat karo usse! Kah do jo kahna chahti ho! Agar naraz ho, jo narazgi jatao, gussa aa raha hai toh nikalo aapna gussa, lekin baat karo! Zindegi sab ko dusra mauka nehi deti Shreya, lekin tum dono ko de rahi hai! Ise mat gawao! Phir, tum dono jo bhi faisla lo, woh tumhara niji mamla hai, magar is waqt tumko meri baat manni hi hogi!"

Slowly, Shreya reached out, but before taking the phone, she slightly pressed his hand, with a "sorry sir", which was barely a whisper.

Abhijeet (surprised)- sorry? Woh kis liye?

Shreya bit her lip, "aap ne humesha se humare achhe ke liye hi socha! Daya sir ka bhi, aur mera bhi! Phir bhi, sab aap hi ko galat samajhte hain! Abhi abhi main ne bhi wohi galati kee, jab aap mujhe sab kuch bata rahe the! Bewajah mujhe aap pe gussa aa raha tha, jab ki aapki koi galati nehi thi! Mere Dad ne aapki achhai ka faida uthaya! Aapne un par yakeen kiya, lekin unhone is baat ka maan nehi rakha! Lekin main unke taraf se maafi nehi mang rahi hoon sir! Unhone jo kiya, woh unki zimmedari hai, meri nehi! Waise bhi, log kahte hain ki maa-baap ke kiye ki saza bachhon ko bhugatni padti hai! Unke kiye ki saza zindegi bhar bhugat rahi hoon, aaj unke liye maafi nehi mangungi! Main sorry is liye kah rahi hoon, kyun ki main ne aapko galat samjha! Zindegi bhar aapke dil ko bhi yeh baat chubti rahi hogi, hai na, ki jo kuch humare sath hua, woh aapki wajese hua? Aisa nehi hai sir. Agar abhi bhi yeh khyaal aapke dimag mein hai, toh please use nikal dijiye! Aur, aap nehi jante, aaj aapka yahan aana mere liye kitna zaruri tha! mere dil se bhi ek bojh utar gaya, aapse baat karke! Thank you sir, yahan aane ke liye!"

Abhijeet smiled, "Shreya, tumhe sorry kahne ki koi zarurat nehi! Tumhari jaga aur koi bhi hota toh yehi karta, mera Daya ne bhi yehi kiya! Phir, sari baatein pata chalne ke baad use bhi bohot bura laga, aur usne mujhe bohot samjhaya ki meri koi galati nehi, lekin main kabhi yeh baat aapne mann se puri tarah nikal nehi paya. Isliye toh yeh letter itna sambhalke rakha, isi ummeed ke sath, ki shayed kabhi zindegi mujhe bhi dusra mauka de! Khair, ab yeh phone uthao, kafi derr se ring jaa rahi hai!"

With a faint smile, Shreya picked up the phone.

A/N- thanks to all my readers and reviewers for your valuable time and opinions. Stay tuned. love you all. :)


	18. Chapter 18

A white innova was running through the busy road of evening-Mumbai. The driver and the person on passenger-seat, both were silent, and looking extremely worried.

The car had to stop due to heavy traffic. The driver shook his head in disappointment, murmuring, "God, Sunday ke din bhi itna traffic!"

The other person- sir, mujhe bohot chinta ho rahi hai! Kahan gaye honge woh? Unka phone bhi kabse bandh aa raha hai!

The driver- pata nehi Shreya! mujhe bhi kuch samajh mein nehi aa raha! Uska ghar bandh hai, beach pe bhi woh kahin nehi dikha! Is waqt kisi dost ke paas jayega toh nehi, phir bhi humare jitney bhi close friends hain, sabse contact kar liya! Kisiko kuch nehi maloom!

Shreya bit her lip, "yeh sab meri wajese hua! Mujhe unse is tarah baat nehi karni chahiye thi!"

Abhijeet- Shreya please! Is mein tumhari koi galati nehi hai! Tumhare situation mein koi bhi aisa hi karta. Aur, jo ho gaya so ho gaya, abhi uske bare mein sochne ka koi faida nehi! Abhi humein yeh sochna hai ki usko kahan dhunde!

Shreya- lekin sir, itne bade shahar mein is tarah kahan dhundenge? Mujhe lagta hai ki humein beach par hi intezaar karna chahiye tha! jab bhi woh upset hote hain, wohin pe jaate hain na? aur aap toh samajh sakte hain ki abhi unke dil pe kya beet rahi hai!

Abhijeet (thinking something)- main samajh raha hoon Shreya! shayed, tumse bahtar samajh raha hoon! (turning towards her) don't take it otherwise Shreya! main bas yeh kahena chahta hoon ki…

Shreya cut him off, "sir aapko explanation dene ki koi zarurat nehi hai! Aap dono ke rishte ke bare mein sab jante hain! Aur, itne saalon taq aap hi unke sath rahe, main nehi! Zahir si baat hai, ki aap unko mujhse bahtar samjhenge!"

Abhijeet sighed, " Shreya yeh baat sach hai ki hum dono, ek dusre ke dil mein kya chal raha hai, yeh baat asani se samajh jate hain! Haan, woh jab bhi upset hota hai, samundar kinare hi jaa ke baithta hai! Kahta hai ki, use wahan sukoon milta hai! Par aaj shayed use wahan bhi sukoon nehi mila! Agar use wahan jana hota, toh bohot pahle jaa chuka hota! Kahin aur hi gaya hai woh!"

Shreya stared at him, silent, waiting for him to say something more.

Abhijeet (thinking something)- ek baat batao Shreya! aakhri baar tum dono kahan mile the?

Shreya (surprised)- aakhri baar? Sir, aaj hi toh mere ghar pe…

Abhijeet interrupted, "nehi, main aaj ki baat nehi kar raha hoon! Mere kahne ka matlab hai ki… woh… tumhari shadi se pahle…"

Shreya took a brief pause before speaking, "sir woh, lake ke paas."

Abhijeet- lake?

Shreya- haan, humare bureau ke paas jo park tha, uske pichewale raste se thodi dur jate hi ek chota sa lake tha na? kafi sunsaan si jaga thi! ( she was little lost) unhone mujhe milne ke liye bulaya… par kuch baat nehi ho payi! Unhone bhi kuch nehi kaha, aur main bhi naraz hoke chali gayi! Kya woh wahan gaye honge? Kya woh jaga abhi bhi waisa hi hai?

Abhijeet did not answer. As soon as the traffic was cleared, he took U-turn, and pressed the accelerator.

Beside the lake, sitting on a log, Daya was staring at the sky. He witnessed the sunset, sitting here today. In front of his eyes, the last ray of light was wiped away, and now darkness took its place. 'Its symbolic', he thought. Till today, there was a little ray of light in the sky of his life, though he was not fully aware of it, which was completely lost now.

But…

The sky was not absolutely dark! The stars were opening their eyes one by one, and the moon would also be there soon! The entire land would be even more beautiful with the light like melting-silver.

He smiled ruefully. That won't happen in his life! Right now, all he could see that the path of his life was lost in a dark, cold desert. He could not see the end of the path! He was feeling so very tired!

While coming out of Shreya's flat, he was feeling completely numb. Each and every word from her made so deep scar in his heart, that he was not able to feel anything, not even the pain! He did not know why he chose this place to come, instead of his favorite sea-beach! He just came and sat here.

After some time, in this lonely place, his mind was bit calm, and his ability to think was back. It was not good for him, though. It only brought back the feeling of pain, shame and humiliation, which was eating him up alive!

He closed his eyes, resting his back on a tree-trunk. Only if a tool was invented, to delete memories from human-mind! Or a time-machine, to go back at past! He would never let any of the events happen!

Though the place was lonely, and no one was about to come there, it was not far from the crowded area of the city. Somewhere, someone was playing a radio; the distant sound of the song was coming to him.

 _ **Din dhal jaaye, haye raat na jaaye…  
tu to na aaye teri yaad sataye…**_

A wry smile appeared to his face. Yeah, that's exactly what was happening to him.

 _ **Pyar mein jinke sab jag chhoda  
aur hue badnaam,  
unke hi haato haal hua yeh  
baithe hai dil ko thaam…**_

Was she the only one, responsible for everything? No! Though his broken heart wanted to blame her right now, but deep down in his mind, he knew that's not true! Whatever happened in his life, he had his own responsibility for that.

 _ **apne kabhi the, ab hai paraye…**_

'no', he shook his head. "na woh kabhi meri thi, na main kabhi uska ban paya!"

He did not notice the piece of cloud at the corner of the sky. It was growing now, changing the color of the sky. He was startled by a sudden blow of cold wind, made him shiver.

 _ **Aisi rim-jhim aisi puhare, aisi hi thi barsat…**_

 _ **Khud se juda aur jag se paraye, hum dono the sath…**_

That moment never came to his… their life, but it could! They could fight the entire world, just to be together!

The entire world, but not themselves!

Neither of them could come out of the shell they made around themselves, out of fear, out of insecurity! Only if some words were spoken, some feelings were expressed, everything could be different today!

 _ **phir se woh saawan ab kyun na aaye…**_

He sighed. The moments were gone, and gone forever! That time would never come back!

 _ **dil ke mere paas ho kitne  
phir bhi ho kitni door…  
tum mujhse mein dil se pareshaan  
dono hai majboor…**_

Yes, even after everything, she was still too close to his heart, too close! He did not want to think of her, but could not stop himself! All he could do, was to hate himself for being so weak!

 _ **aise me kisko kaun manaye…**_

No one would. She would not even try to make things better, for sure, and he did not find it important anymore. It's over now. Finally. Completely.

 _ **Din dhal jaaye, haye raat na jaaye…  
tu to na aaye teri yaad sataye…**_

He closed his eyes and let a tear roll down over his cheek. She won't come to him. He lost her, again. And this time, forever!

She said, she was not in love with him. Not anymore.

But it's ok now.

Life taught him to live alone, in a young age. In past 25 years, he learned to live without her.

The destiny had played a cruel prank with him by bringing her back, but he won't be defeated.

She wanted him to leave her alone. Fine!

Once he thought of her happiness, not his! He could do that again!

He would leave. He would leave for the sake of her. Her life, her kids, her reputation.

But she must be happy.

And… he won't be alone.

There was at least one person, who would never leave his side. The one person, who would hold his hand, till his death. The one person, would never betray him.

Just the thought, gave him great sooth.

Some water-droplets fell over his head, and soon it started raining softly.

He closed his eyes and lifted his face up to the sky. He let the rain wash away the pain. After a long time, he felt relaxed. In the rain, in the cool breeze.

He took a deep breath, in the beautiful aroma of wet soil, moss and other plants near the lake. At that moment, he felt a touch. He recognized it, even with closed eyes. A known, loving, soothing touch.

The touch of his Abhi.

Abhijeet was not sure that they would find Daya here. He just took a chance.

But when they reached near the lake, two pair of eyes were searching desperately, and soon, the person was spotted whom they were searching for.

He noticed the woman beside him to cover her mouth with a hand, to suppress a sobbing. His heart was also clenched, by the sight of his beloved brother. So tired, so broken!

He signaled Shreya to go to him, but she denied by shaking her head firmly. Abhijeet understood. She could not face Daya. Not right now.

He gently commanded her to wait and moved towards his friend.

When he touched Daya's shoulder, he expected him to be shocked or… he was not sure what did he expect, but definitely not this!

Daya did not even look at him properly, but just turned and pulled him in a tight hug. Abhijeet was surprised, but decided not to say anything at this moment. He sat beside him silently and hugged back.

They stayed like that for a while. If Daya cried his heart out, Abhijeet would have understood, but he was not crying! He was as still as a statue; face pressed on Abhijeet's shoulder, arms encircling him. For a second, Abhijeet doubted whether he was conscious or not!

Finally, they pulled away. Abhijeet lifted his face gently, putting two fingers under his chin, and asked in a soft tone, "Daya, are you ok?"

Looking downward, Daya gave him a brief nod.

Abhijeet smiled a little, "Daya, ab apne Abhi se bhi baat chipane lage? Sara dard akele hi bardast karna chahte ho?"

Daya looked up this time, his lips trembling, "tumlog sahi kahte the Abhijeet! Har faisla lene ka ek sahi waqt hota hai! Agar woh waqt beet jay, phir woh faisla bhi sahi nehi rahta!"

Abhijeet stayed silent, listening.

His voice choked, "sahi kaha tha tumlogon ne! nehi milna chahiye tha mujhe usse! Yes, I am a sentimental fool! Kya zarurat thi meri aapne aapko aise zalil karne ki, aapne pyaar ka mazaak banane ki! Kya mila mujhe yeh sab karke! Kuch bhi toh nehi!"

Tears started flowing freely from another pair of eyes. She did not even try to wipe, as it was of no use.

Here Abhijeet became conscious. He was here to solve the matter between Daya and Shreya, but right now Daya was so upset that he might say something, which could ruin everything forever! No, he must be stopped.

He squeezed Daya's hand, "Daya, shant ho jao, please! Tum galat samajh rahe ho yaar, kisi ne tumhare pyaar ka mazaak nehi banaya, trust me!"

Daya stopped and stared at Abhijeet, trying to figure out what he was saying.

Abhijeet took a few seconds to organize the words, "meri baat suno Daya! Dekho, mere hisaab se tumhe thora aur waqt lena chahiye tha! akher tum dono alag kyun huye the? Isi galat-fehmi mein na, ki tum dono ek dusre se pyaar nehi karte? Aaj tumhe uski sachhai pata chala, ki woh abhi bhi tumse pyaar karti hai, aur tumne ekdum se shadi ka faisla kar liya! Lekin use kahan tumhari sachhai pata hai yaar? Pahle toh use yeh ahsaas dilana zaruri tha ki tum sach mein usse pyaar karte ho! Itna bada faisla lena, woh bhi is umar mein, asaan nehi hai yeh! Agar use thoda waqt..."- he was cut by a dry laugh.

"waqt? Aur kitna waqt Abhijeet? Puri ek zindegi bhi kam hai kya?" Daya looked at him with a sarcastic smile.

"waqt lekar hi toh main ne yeh galati kee thi aapni zindegi mein! Pata hai boss, un dino mein, jab woh humare sath CID mein thi, sabko lagta tha ki woh mujhse pyaar karti hai! Mujhe bhi aisa hi laga! Ab yeh mat poocho ki mere dil mein kya tha, kyun ki woh tum achhi tarah jante ho! Lekin main ne waqt liya! Kya karoon! Aapne is toote huye dil ko dubara kisike samne kholne se mujhe darr lagta tha! aapne dil ki awaaz sunne se darta tha main! Yeh sochta tha, ki kya yeh waqei pyaar hai, ya bas ek infatuation! Aur agar woh sach mein mujhse pyaar karti hai, toh main kya de sakta hoon use is pyaar ke badle? Ek secured zindegi bhi nehi sakta, kyun ki humari khud ki zindegi mein koi security nehi hoti! Kabhi bhi, kuch bhi ho sakta hai! Isliye main dekhna chahta tha, ki kya itni taqat hai is pyaar mein, jo age jake, anewale har musibat se lad sake! Lekin main bhool gaya tha, ki waqt kabhi kisi ka intezaar nehi karta! Jab yeh ahsaas hua ki, main use kitna chahta hoon, ki uske bina jeena mere liye kitni mushkil hogi, tabtaq sab khatam ho chuka tha, sab kuch." His voice cracked.

Abhijeet placed a hand on his cheek lovingly, and said in a wet tone, "main, ACP sir, hum sab humesha tujhe kahte the ki Daya, dil se nehi, dimaag se socho! Aaj main kah raha hoon yaar, ki kash tu zindegi mein ek baar, dimag ke badle dil se soch liya hota!"

Daya stared at him for a few seconds in a strange manner, then said, "lekin sabko galatfehmi hui thi Abhi! Tumhe, mujhe, yahantaq De… uske apne bete ko bhi! Pyaar nehi karti woh mujhse! Usne khud bataya mujhe! Ki yeh insaan ka dil hai, kabhi bhi badal sakta hai! Ab uski zindegi mein, uski apni choti si duniya mein, mere liye koi jaga nehi!"

Abhijeet did not know what to say, how to convince his friend that whatever he was thinking, was not true! But Daya did not wait for him to answer, and continued.

"sab meri galati hai! Mujhe toh yeh bohot pahle samajhna chahiye tha! aise kisike baaton mein aakar… nehi karna chahiye tha aisa!"

Abhijeet tried to stop him, "Daya, tum Deepak se naraz ho kya? Ab us bechare ki galati, woh toh achhe ke liye hi…" but he was interrupted.

Daya- nehi Abhi! Main kisiko blame nehi kar raha hoon! Na Shreya ko, na hi Deepak ko! Yeh sirf aur sirf meri bewakufi ki natija hai! Deepak toh bachha hai, lekin mujhe toh samajhna chahiye tha!

Abhijeet (bit irritated)- kya samajhna chahiye tha Daya? Kya kahena chahte ho? Deepak ne jo kuch kaha, kya woh jhooth tha? ki Shreya aaj taq (he paused, remembering her presence, and shortly stated) , aaj taq tumhe yaad karti hai?

Daya started at him for a brief moment, thinking about that. Then said in a cold tone, "nehi, woh jhooth kyun bolega! Shayed yeh sach hai ki aajtaq woh mujhe yaad karti hai! Lekin Abhi, ek mare huye insaan ko bhi toh log yaad karte hain na? par agar woh murda kabhi kabar se uthkar dubara samne aa jay, toh kya karenge woh log? Khush honge, ya dar jayenge?"

Abhijeet (utterly shocked)- Daya yeh tum kya bol rahe ho?

Daya (with a sad smile)- yeh kahte huye mujhe bhi achha nehi lag raha hai Abhi, lekin shayed yehi sach hai! Kabhi uske dil mein mere liye koi feelings rahi hogi, isliye use meri yaad aati hai! Lekin mere sath ek naya rishta jodne ke bare mein sochna, yeh mumkin nehi hai uske liye! Uske liye woh feelings, woh sapne mar chuke hai Abhi, aur shayed, main bhi!

He would say something more, but was cut off harshly.

Abhijeet (extremely angry)- chup, bilkul chup! Bohot derr se teri bakwaas sun raha hoon! Ab ek shabd aur nehi!

Bohot bade jyotishi(astrologer) ban gaye tum? Kiske mann mein kya hai, yeh itni asani se samajh jaate ho? Arre bolne se pahle ek baar aapne aapko uski situation mein rakhkar dekho! Ek ladki, saalon se tumse pyaar karti rahi! Yeh baat jante huye bhi, tumne kabhi yeh jataya taq nehi, ki uske liye tumhari koi dilchaspi hai bhi ya nehi! Kya yeh uski beizzati nehi hai? Phir majboori mein, use kisi aur se shadi karni padi! Dukh ke siwa kuch nehi mila use us rishte se, aur kuch hi dino mein talaq bhi ho gaya uska! Puri zindegi woh akeli, tere yaadon ke sahare jeeti rahi! Kyun ki tu hi uska pahla aur akhri pyaar hai! Aur phir ek din, tu achanaq aa ke use kahta hai ki, 'chalo, hum shadi karte hain,' jaise kuch hua hi nehi! Kya beetegi us par? Kya use yeh nehi lagega, ki uska jo pyaar, jo dard uski ghamand hai, tu uska mazaak bana raha hai? Kabhi socha tu ne? nehi! Kitni asani se kah diya, ki uski sari feelings mar chuke hai!

Daya (hurt)- Abhi! Tum bhi mujhe hi galat kah rahe ho?

Abhijeet (bit calm)- haan Daya! Galati uski bhi thi, main manta hoon! Lekin is waqt tumhari soch bhi galat hai yaar! Kisiko judge karne se pahle, ek baar yeh socho, ki usne jo kiya, woh kyun kiya! Aur usse bhi important, agar tum uski jaga hote, toh kya karte!

Daya took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second. Then he said in a calm voice, "thik hai Abhi! Main tumhari baat samajh raha hoon! Lekin mare ek sawal ka jawab de sakte ho? Agar itna hi pyaar karti thi woh mujhse, toh apni zindegi ki sabse mushkil ghadi mein, use meri yaad kyun nehi aayi? Kyun use mere yaadon ke sahare jeena manzoor tha, lekin mere paas ana nehi? Mere liye toh woh ek shadisuda ladki thi, uska pata bhi nehi maloom tha mujhe! Lekin woh chahti toh mera pata laga sakti thi na? itne saalon mein ek baar bhi mann nehi hua, mujhse milne ka? Kyun?"

Abhijeet stayed silent for a second, then calmly said, "tumhare is sawal ka jawab mere paas nehi hai Daya. Tum usi se kyun nehi pooch lete?

A strange smile appeared to Daya's face, "pata hai, yehi sawal main ne Deepak se bhi poocha tha, jab woh… usne bhi yehi kaha tha! 'maa se pooch lena!' khair, ab dubara usse milna ya koi sawal karna possible nehi hai mere liye! Aur sach kahun toh mujhe koi baat karni bhi nehi hai usse!"

Abhijeet was about to say something, but stopped and casually said, "thik hai, koi baat nehi! Tujhe baat nehi karni hai toh, mat kar! Achha ek baat bata, mujhe yahan dekhkar tujhe ajeeb nehi laga? Mujhe toh nehi pata tha, ki tum yahan ho! Phone bhi kabse bandh hai tumhara!"

Daya stared at him for a couple of minutes. At first, it was confusion in his eyes, but slowly, it was changed into astonishment.

Daya- arre haan, yeh baat toh mere dimag mein aaya hi nehi! Woh kya hai na Abhi, tum meri zindegi ka ek aisa ahem hissa ho, tumhare sath ka, tumhare paas hone ka aisi adaat hai mujhe, ki woh main kabhi alag se notice hi nehi karta! Jo kuch mujhe sukoon pahunchata ho, jaise in bearish ki boondein, yeh hawa ke jhokhe, waise hi tum bhi ho Abhijeet! Mujhe is waqt tumhari zarurat thi, aur tum aa gaye! Isse zyada main ne kuch socha hi nehi!

Abhijeet was speechless this time. He felt his eyelashes getting wet.

Daya- par waqei, tum yahan aaye kaise? Main ne toh kisiko is jage ke bare mein nehi bataya!

Abhijeet (controlling his emotions)- tum bhul rahe ho Daya, is jage ke bare mein tumhare ilawa ek aur insaan ko bhi maloom hai!

It took Daya a few seconds to realize what he was saying.

Daya (still not sure)- Shreya?

Abhijeet nodded in agreement. Daya stood up in a jerk.

Daya (shocked)- lekin yeh kaise… I mean, usse tumhari… tum usse mile the kya?

Abhijeet- haan Daya. Main gaya tha uske paas.

Daya- kyun?

Abhijeet looked in his eyes, "Daya, dosti ke khatir hum dono ne zindegi mein ek dusre ke liye bohot kuch kiya! Samajh le, yeh bhi kuch aisa hi tha!

Daya stayed silent, waiting to hear something more.

Abhijeet continued, "Daya, main tujhe aisi halat mein nehi dekh sakta! Lekin uski kya halat hai is waqt, is baat ka mujhe andaza bhi nehi tha! aur main janta hoon, tujhe bhi andaza nehi hogi!"

Daya was about to say something, but Abhijeet stopped him.

Abhijeet- ek baat ka mujhe yakeen ho gaya Daya, ki tum dono ke bich jo bhi kuch hai, uski wajah sirf aur sirf galatfehmi hai! Please yaar, is misunderstanding ko clear karo! Phir uske baad jo chahe faisla lena, par ek galatfehmi ke waje se agar tum dono humesha ke liye ek dusre se dur raho, naraz raho, yeh mujhe bardast nehi hoga! please Daya, mere khatir?

Daya sighed and looked at him, "tum kya kahte ho? Kya mujhe usse baat karne ki koshish karni chahiye? Nehi, agar tum kahte ho toh main dubara uske ghar jane ke liye taiyaar hoon, lekin…"

Abhijeet smiled, "kahin jane ki zarurat nehi hai tujhe! Zara dekh udhar!"

Daya followed his gaze and was astound to see her. Though she was looking downward and their eyes could not meet, but Daya could tell what she was going through. She was looking completely broken!

Daya stared in utter disbelief. He could not think in his wildest dream that Shreya would come here to find him! He came back to reality, only when Abhijeet almost pulled him near her.

Both stayed silent, still not looking at each other. Abhijeet waited for a few seconds, then glared to both of them and said in an ordering tone, "main car mein intezaar kar raha hoon. Tum dono ko jo bhi baat karni hai, gussa karna hai, chillana hai, sab khatam karke hi lautna! Aaj ke baad, aur koi misunderstanding nehi chahiye!"

Saying that, he left from there.

Once again, Daya and Shreya were face to face, alone! The tension could be cut by knife. Both had a lot of things to say, but neither of them was ready to break the awkward silence.

Finally, Daya decided to break the ice.

Daya- tum… yahan kyun aayi?

Shreya looked up, hurt. Was this the question to come at this moment?

When she came here, she was guilty and scared for him. But now, she was overwhelmed by a mixed emotion, which she could not name! What did Daya really think of her?

Shreya (bitting her lips)- aapko sorry bolne aayi thi. Apne ghar aaye guest ke sath is tarah baat nehi karni chahiye thi mujhe. So, I'm sorry!

Now it's Daya's turn to look up with hurt eyes. Just that? she was feeling guilty of her actions, only because he was a 'guest' in her house?

Daya- no, it's fine. Waise galati meri hi thi! Kuch soche-samjhe bina, tumhara mann jane bina, mujhe waisi baat nehi karni chahiye thi!

Shreya (looking another direction)- mere mann ki baat toh aap kabhi bhi samajh nehi paye! Aaj kya samjhenge!

Daya- tumne samjhane ki kabhi koshish bhi toh nehi kee!

He felt bad immediately after saying that. He knew he sounded a bit harsh, but he did not mean to be rude. But after the incident at Shreya's place on this afternoon, it was his hurt ego who was talking.

But for Shreya, it was more than enough to bear.

She pulled him by both of his arms, forcing him to look at him.

Shreya (trembling in fury)- main ne koshish nehi kee? Main ne? jitna main ne koshish kee thi, utna aur koi nehi karta! Aap agar andhe hain ya na-samajh hain, toh us mein meri kya galati?

Daya stared at her, shocked. He never expected Shreya to react like that!

Shreya continued, "kitni baar, kitni baar main yeh jatane ki koshish kee, ki main aapko chahti hoon! Isse jyada khulkar baat karna kisi bhi ladki ke liye mumkin nehi hota sir! Aur aap ne kya kiya? Humesha aisa dikhate the jaise aapko kuch samajh mein hi nehi aata, ya phir aapko koi interest hi nehi hai! Do you have any idea, how insulting it was?

Siddharth se shadi karna meri majboori thi! Meri family ka pressure tha mujh par; aur mere paas koi wajah bhi toh nehi thi, aapka intezaar karne ka! Lekin aapne mujhe rokha kyun nehi? Pata hai aapko, aaj Abhijeet sir mere paas kyun aaye the? Unhone mujhe woh letter diya, jo aapne kabhi mere liya likha tha, lekin mere papa ne use mujh taq pohunchne nehi diya! (his eyes went wide in surprise) pahle toh mujhe yakeen hi nehi hua ki woh letter aap likh sakte hain! Itna pyaar agar dil mein tha, toh kabhi use zubaan pe kyun nehi aane diya? Sir, aapne jitna us letter pe likha tha na, uska .1% bhi agar aapne muh se kah dete, toh meri puri zindegi aaj kuch aur hoti!

Aapko jawab chahiye na, ki apna sab kuch khone ke baad main aapke paas kyun nehi aayi? Woh isliye kyunki main aapse bohot pyaar karti thi, aaj bhi karti hoon! Lekin aap ne kabhi mujhe yeh ahsaas nehi hone diya ki aap bhi mujhe chahte hain! Toh kis haq se aati main? Mujhe maloom tha ki aap ek bohot achhe insaan hain. Main janti thi ki mere sath jo hua, uske baad puri duniya mein koi mera sath de, koi mujhe sahara de, toh woh aap hain! Lekin main woh le nehi sakti thi! Jis insaan ka pyaar pane ke liye zindegi bhar main tadapti rahi, uska ahsaan kaise leti main? Jin aakhon mein kabhi aapne liye pyaar dekhne ki ummeed thi, un aankho mein daya kaise dekh sakti thi? Aur mujhe toh har pal yehi lagta, ki main aapki achhai ka faida utha rahi hoon! Isiliye main ne yeh faisla kiya, ki main aapse kabhi nehi milungi! Jee lungi aapke yaadon ke sahare! Sirf wohi toh hai mere paas, jo mujhse koi nehi cheen sakta! Lekin …"

She stopped, tried to blink back the tears, which were rolling down her cheeks, but failed. She felt a little problem in breathing, due to the sudden outburst.

Daya kept staring, in total loss of words. For the first time he could feel exactly what she went through, because of his being so cold and aloof. For the first time, a realization hit him, how deep and boundless a woman's love could be. And in the ultimate battle between her love and self-respect, she won! Who the hell on the earth say the utter nonsense that women are weak?

Yet, another thought in this moment captured his brain. First time he discovered that Shreya looked extremely beautiful when she was angry. Pupils were bit wide, lips slightly parted due to heavy breathing, hairs a little messy and the tip of her nose was pinkish, and… she was looking gorgeous!

Was she really 51? Daya could not believe that, not right now. Suddenly, everything seemed to be unreal to him.

The world around them was faded away in front of his eyes, and he was back to the evening of 25 years ago. Yes, there's Shreya, the young, bright, beautiful CID Inspector. The dark brown eyes were staring at him, full of expectations. But he was not able to say anything.

Same place, same persons, same situation. What he needed to do? Apologize? Not enough. Words are never enough.

That day, he committed a mistake, that was proved to be a disaster. He won't repeat that.

Slowly, he lifted his arms and pulled her closer. Before she could understand what's going on exactly, she felt his lips, pressed on hers.

The next couple of minutes were like a dream, probably the most beautiful one. At first it was a shy, make-up kiss, but soon it was changed into a passionate one.

She felt her anger melting away completely. His lips were so soft and warm against hers; she clutched the back of his shirt, and open up for him, letting him in.

It was still raining, and both of them got wet, but no one was in the mood to end this. As if they had to make-up for all the pain and sufferings of 25 years.

For the short period of time, the earth stopped revolving, and no one else was left in the entire planet. Only two persons, two long-lost lovers.

Finally, they had to pull away in need of air. Daya looked at her, and saw the most beautiful smile on her face, that he had ever seen! The little bit of anxiety left in his heart, was gone now. He also smiled and embraced her.

He whispered to her, "ab toh tumhe pata chal gaya na?"

Face buried in his chest, she nodded. Then he heard a muffled voice, "aur aapko?"

He lifted her face up and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. It said a lot of things, which word could not.

They loved each other. Always had, always would.

Now they both knew it.

A/N- Thanks to all my readers and reviewers for your valuable time and opinions, and sorry for the late update.

Special thanks to ShreyaPurvi 3, for liking my story.

Mystic Morning, Thanks for ur constructive criticism.

Love u all.


	19. Chapter 19

_Two Months Later:_

"Maa! Thoda jaldi kijiye, humein 11 baje taq pohunchna hai!" Deepak called out loud from the hall.

"abhi sirf 9.45 baje hai! Maa ko abhi thoda waqt lagega, taiyaar hone mein!" Jyoti shouted back.

"chodo na Jyoti, bas ho gaya na! kya zarurat hai itna sab karne ki! Abhi is umar mein…" Shreya stopped in mid-sentence, receiving a glare from Jyoti.

Jyoti (firmly)- maa, waise toh main aapki har baat manti hoon, lekin filhaal aap Dulhan hain, aur main aapki make-up artist! Abhi mujhe aapki nehi, balki aapko meri sunni hogi! Aur mera pahela instruction yeh hai ki aap apne umar ke bare mein bilkul bhi nehi sochengi! Yeh age na, sirf ek number hai, usse zyada kuch nehi! (pause) aur kisine sach kaha hai, ki umar utna humare sharir ka nehi hota, jitna dil ka hota hai!

Shreya shook her head, smiling. Not only because of Jyoti's words, she remembered her conversation with Daya last week.

 _She was in office, when Daya called her. She checked his missed call at lunch-hours, and called back._

 _Daya- haan Shreya, bolo._

 _Shreya- aapka missed call dekha isliye… kuch kaam tha kya?_

 _Daya- haan, main bas yeh poochne ke liye phone kiya ki aaj hum sab ne jo bahar dinner ka plan banaya, woh tumhe yaad hai na?_

 _Shreya- haan, mujhe yaad hai! Main office se direct aa jaungi. Deepak aur Jyoti ko shopping ke liye jana hai aaj, toh unko aate aate shayed thodi derr ho jay!_

 _Daya- koi baat nehi, hum unka wait kar lenge! Par, aaj achanaq shopping ka plan? (little excited) kahin humari shadi ke liye toh nehi?_

 _Shreya- kya Daya! Aap khush ho rahe hain? Mujhe toh itna embarrassing lag raha hai ki kya bataun! I mean, humari umar mein… yeh sab bachpana nehi lagta aapko?_

 _Daya- Shayed yeh bachpana hai Shreya, lekin yeh humare apno ka pyaar bhi toh hai humare liye! Dekho na, yahan Abhijeet bhi mere liye naya sherwani silwa raha hai! Main ne kaha ki kya zarurat hai, 3-4 suits pade hai mere paas, un mein se hi ek pahen lunga, toh daant diya mujhe! Kahne laga ki mera bhai purane kapde pahenke shadi karega, toh meri kya izzat rah jayegi! Ab bolo!_

 _Shreya laughed a little, "but really, kya zarurat hai yeh sab karne ki? Jis waje se humne sirf court-marriage ka faisla kiya, woh toh…"_

 _Daya interrupted, "Shreya, zindegi mein har cheez ko hum zarurat ke hisab se nehi dekh sakte! Aur sach kahun toh, mujhe achha lag raha hai! Ki humare apne humare liye khush ho rahe hain! Socho, agar yeh log humein support nehi karte, toh kya hum kabhi bhi yeh decision le sakte the? Shreya, dusre log humare bare mein kya kahte hain, is baat ka koi parwa nehi hai mujhe! Lekin humare apne kya sochte hain, unki kya ummeed hai humse, yeh mere liye bohot important hai! Aaj jis tarah in sab ne humara sath nibha rahe hain, main chahta hoon ki tum bhi uski kadar karo! Aur rahi baat umar ki, mere liye toh tum aaj bhi wohi Shreya ho, jo 25 saal pahle thi! Kuch bhi toh nehi badla! Tum batao, tumhare liye kya main ab woh Daya nehi raha? Buddha ho gaya hoon?"_

 _Now that made her laugh, "nehi Daya! Aap kabhi buddhe ho sakte hain? Aap toh evergreen ho!"_

 _She could tell that Daya was smiling, " evergreen hum sab rah sakte hain Shreya, agar chahe toh! Dekho, waqt ke sath umar toh sab ki badhti hai, it's natural! Yeh koi sharmanewali baat toh nehi hai?"_

 _Shreya- nehi sir, aisi baat nehi…_

 _Daya- toh tum kyun embarrassed ho rahi ho Shreya? yeh kisne tay kiya ki humari umar ho gayi toh humein khush rahne ka haq nehi, pyaar karne ka haq nehi, zindegi jeene ka haq nehi? Sirf isliye, kyun ki humein kafi saal ho gaya is duniya mein aaye huye? Aur na chahte huye bhi, humein yeh manna hoga? kya yeh sahi hai? Humesha dusro ke hisab se jeena? Main janta hoon Shreya, ki is waqt tumhe bhi khushi ho rahi hai, lekin aapne aap se jhooth bol rahi ho tum, ki tumhe achha nehi lag raha hai yeh sab! Kyun Shreya? kyun aisa soch rahi ho ki is khushi ka tumhe koi haq nehi, kyun ki tumhari umar ho gayi hai? Aapne aapko un logon ki nazar se kyun dekh rahi ho, jinse tumhara koi lenadena nehi? Jin logonko tumare sukh-dukh se koi matlab nehi, jinko bas gossip karne ka ek mauka chahiye? Kyun?_

 _Shreya took a deep breath, closing her eyes. He was right. His words made her feel better, like always._

"Maa!"

Jyoti's voice broke her trance. She looked up at her.

Jyoti- dekhiye, baal bana diya main ne aapka. Abhi saree select karna hai! Aap yeh red wali saree pahenengi na?

Shreya- nehi Jyoti, red nehi!

Jyoti frowned, "kyun? dulhan ka joda toh humesha laal hota hai!"

Shreya- haan, hota hai! Isse pahle bhi Mujhe ek baar aisa hi laal rang ka joda pahnaya gaya tha!

Jyoti understood. She looked down, silent.

Shreya- pichli baar jo hua tha, is baar waisa kuch nehi hoga Jyoti! Mujhe Koi aur color ki saree do!

Jyoti- thik hai maa. Phir aap yeh pink saree pahen lijiye!

Shreya- nehi nehi! Yeh mujhe suit nehi karega!

Jyoti- maa, yeh bohot achha lagega! Aap ek baar try toh kijiye!

Shreya- nehi beta! Yeh kuch zyada hi gorgeous hai! Ek kaam karo, yeh tum pahen lo!

Jyoti- achha, thik hai! Phir aap… waise main ek mustard color ki saree bhi layi thi, floral design wali! Woh kahan gayi?

Shreya- dekho shayed almari mein rakha hoga!

Jyoti- haan… yeh rahi! Dekhiye, yeh kaisa hai!

Shreya- hmm… waise saree toh achhi hai, par mere liye sahi rahega?

Jyoti smirked, "pahen lijiye na maa! don't worry, Daya uncle ko achha hi lagega!"

Shreya (without thinking)- par unka favorite color peela nehi, green hai!

She became conscious right next moment, and slapped Jyoti's head lighly, "kuch zyada hi mazaaq sujh raha hai tum dono ko aajkal! maa hoon main tumhari!"

Jyoti started giggling, but suddenly stopped, remembering something.

Jyoti- green kaha na aap ne?

Shreya raised her eyebrow, "haan, kyun?"

Jyoti- ek minute!

 _Daya's house:_

Daya came out from bathroom after taking a shower. The outfit of groom was neatly arranged in his bedroom. He was about to get dressed, when he heard his phone ringing.

Daya- haan Abhijeet!

From other side- Chachu, main Arjun!

Daya- haan beta, bol! Tere papa kahan hain?

Arjun- hum bas ghar se nikalne hi wale hain, papa, main aur Tanisha! Aapko pick up karke sidha marriage-registrar ke office jayenge. Papa ne check karne ko kaha ki aap uth gaye ya nehi!

Daya- aapne papa ko bol ki main itna bhi alsi nehi hoon, jo aapni shadi ke din bhi ghode bech ke sota rahunga! (he heard Abhijeet was chuckling) waise beta, teri mummy nehi aa rahi hain?

Arjun (bit hesitating)- chachu woh, mummy ko shayed kuch zaruri kaam hoga lab mein! Subah-subah nikal gayi woh! Agar waqt pe kaam nipta liya, toh aa jayengi!

Daya sighed, "haan, thik hai! Tumlog aa jao, main tabtaq taiyaar ho jata hoon!"

Arjun- ok chachu! All the best for the new journey of life!

The phone cut from both ends.

Daya smiled to himself. New journey of life! Right! That's what she said, too. That's what she was afraid of!

 _Coming back home, after the confession at lake, she was silent all the way. Daya tried to talk for a couple of times, but she was looking lost. He understood, that everything that happened was so sudden and unexpected, that she was shaken. He wanted to give her time, so decided not to push the matter._

 _Three days later, he went to visit Shreya. Deepak and Jyoti were not home. She welcomed him with a smile, but Daya felt that something was wrong with her, though he could not tell what. He tried to ask her, but she just shrugged and said it's nothing._

 _After some small chat over coffee, Daya decided to raise the topic again._

 _He said in a casual tone, "achha toh, kya socha tumne?"_

 _She looked up, "kis bare mein sir?"_

 _Daya- wohi, jis bare mein hum us din baat kar rahe the…_

 _Shreya- kya?_

 _Daya sighed. He thought that she was playing a trick, as she wanted to hear it from his mouth. The slightest idea of her refusal was far from his mind._

 _Daya- Shreya, main humari shadi ki baat kar raha hoon. Kya socha tumne?_

 _He expected her to blush or something, but not such a reaction! She did not look up, but Daya could tell that she froze temporarily._

 _Shreya (low tone)- main abhi is bare mein, kuch nehi socha!_

 _He still did not get it, "abhitaq nehi socha? Phir kab sochogi? Already hum kafi late kar chuke hain!" he said in a light tone._

 _This time she looked in his eyes, "isiliye toh! abhi hum itni derr kar chuke hain, mujhe nehi lagta ki ab is bare kuch bhi sochna sahi hoga!"_

 _Daya stared with a blank expression on his face. What was she saying?_

 _Daya- yeh tum kya bol rahi ho Shreya? itna sab kuch hone ke baad… Shreya, us din jab main tumse (he stopped, thinking that it would not be a wise decision to bring back their hurtful conversation on her birthday), I mean, tab tumne jo kuch kaha, woh main samajh sakta hoon! Lekin abhi? Abhi toh tumhe sab kuch maloom hai na?_

 _Shreya- haan sir, mujhe maloom hai! Mujhe maloom hai ki aap mujhse kitna pyaar karte hain, aur aap bhi jante hain ki main aapko kitna chahti hoon! Lekin sir, shadi ka faisla, woh bhi is umar mein? Iski kya zarurat hai sir? Hum dono ek dusre se pyaar karte hain, kya itna hi kafi nehi?_

 _Daya- lekin kyun Shreya? kyun hum apna pyaar, apne rishte ko ek naam, ek pahechan nehi de sakte? Kya galat hai is mein?_

 _Shreya- galat toh waise kuch nehi, lekin zarurat kya hai? Abhi kya milega humein is nayi shuruwat se?_

 _Daya- kya milega, aur kya nehi, yeh sochkar kabhi humne pyaar nehi kiya! Agar karte, toh woh sauda hota, pyaar nehi! Tum saaf-saaf kyun nehi kahti ki asli baat kya hai? Kya wajah hai tumhare aitraaz ki?_

 _Shreya- ab kaise samjhaun aapko! Sir, shadi karne ke liye sirf pyaar hi sab kuch nehi hota! Sabse zyada zaruri hota hai pati-patni ka ek dusre ke sath adjust karne ki ability! Shadi means a drastic change of life! Aap kuch bhi kaho, shadi ke baad kuch bhi ek jaise nehi rahta, khas kar ek ladki ke liye! Us nayi zindegi, naye situations, naya mahol ko adopt karne ki kabiliyat chahiye!_

 _Daya was in utter confusion, "haan, toh? tumhe aisa kyun lag raha hai ki hum yeh nehi kar payenge? Shreya, ek sath rahne ke liye thoda-bohot adjustment sabko karna padta hai, yeh main bhi janta hoon! Jahan pyaar ho, wahan yeh apne-aap ho jata hai, kisiko koi taqleef nehi hoti! Lekin jahan pyaar na ho, wahan tum kitna bhi koshish kar lo, adjust nehi kar paogi! Apne bare mein hi socho Shreya! kyun nehi rah payi tum Siddharth ke sath? Tumne toh apni taraf se puri koshish kee thi adjust karne ki!"_

 _Shreya sighed, "aapki baat sahi hai sir! Lekin jo kaam ek 25 saal ki ladki asani se kar sakti hai, woh is 50 saal ke umar mein sirf mushkil hi nehi, almost impossible ho jata hai! Khushi se na sahi, lekin jaise bhi ho, hum dono ne apni apni zindegi jee li hain! Aur abhi Hum dono ka apni zindegi jeene ke apne tareeqein hain, kuch aadatein hain, jo is umar mein na toh aap badal sakte hain, aur na hi main! Agar woh match na kare, toh? kisi ek ko compromise karna hi hoga! aur jise aisa karna hoga, use toh problem hogi hi, dusre ko bhi uncomfortable feel hoga! aur phir, main akeli toh nehi hoon na! mere sath Deepak hoga, kuch hi saalon mein Jyoti bhi hogi! Main janti hoon ki mere bachhon se apko lagav hai, aur woh bhi aapki bohot izzat karte hain, lekin bahar se kisiko pasand karna alag baat hai, aur uske sath ek sath, ek chat ke niche rahna alag! Kal agar aap dono ke bich… toh main kya karungi sir? Main kiska sath dungi?"_

 _Daya stared at her for a few seconds, and said, "iska jawab dene se pahle main tumse ek sawal poochna chahta hoon! Main janta hoon ki tum Jyoti se bohot pyaar karti ho, lekin abhi bhi woh tumhare parivaar ka hissa toh nehi hai na? toh kal jab woh tumhare ghar, tumhari bahu, Deepak ki patni bankar aayegi, tumhe pura yakeen hai ki tum dono adjust kar paogi? Nehi matlab, agar tum dono ki soch, aadatein, expectations, ek dusre ke sath match na kare, toh? tab tum kya karogi? And which is more important, Deepak kya karega? Woh kiska sath dega?"_

 _Shreya- sir, pahli baat toh yeh hai ki Jyoti ko main apni bahu nehi, beti manti hoon. Aur agar kabhi aisi situation hua bhi, woh hum dono milke solve kar lenge! Deepak ko bich mein bolne ki zarurat hi nehi hogi! Kyun ki humare bich chahe koi bhi problem ho, hum dono ek insaan se jude hain, jisse hum dono pyaar karte hain! Use taqleef ho, aisa kuch hum kabhi nehi hone denge!_

 _Daya smiled, "same goes with us Shreya! mere aur Deepak ke bich agar kabhi bhi koi problem ho, woh hum milke deal karenge! Tumhare samne kabhi aisa situation nehi aane denge Shreya, jisse tumko hum dono mein se kisi ek ko chunna pade!"_

 _Daya could see that she was overwhelmed with emotion! But still, something was not right! Still some doubt was left. She could not trust him completely._

 _That thought caused him a sharp pain in his heart, but at the same time, her eyes flashed in his mind. Those eyes, he saw at that day, so full of love, adoration, dependence! How could she love so deeply, yet not trust?_

 _Something else was bothering her! And she was not ready to talk about it._

 _But today he was also determined. He won't let her go, not again! He had to do something!_

 _After a brief moment of silence, Daya calmly said, "Shreya, tumhe pata hai ki main ne apni zindegi mein koi bhi rishta nehi nibhaya, na bete ka, na pati aur na hi pita! Mera apna koi parivaar nehi bana, kabhi bhi nehi! Kya isliye tumhe aisa lagta hai ki mujh mein kisi rishta nibhane ki kabiliyat nehi hai?"_

 _Shreya looked up, hurt. Daya noticed that, but ignored. He knew that he was getting rude, but he had to!_

 _She tried to say something, but he cut off her, "meri baat abhi puri nehi hui Shreya! tumne abhi abhi poocha ki, hum dono ek dusre se pyaar karte hain, kya yeh kafi nehi? Mere liye yeh kafi nehi hai Shreya! agar tum puri tarah meri nehi ho sakti, toh phir se ek baar is rishte ko puri tarah khatam karna hoga!"_

 _She stared at him, almost frightened. "kya matlab? agar main yeh shadi na karun, toh aap phirse mujhse sare nata tod denge?" she whispered._

 _He took a deep breath to steady himself, and firmly replied, "haan. Tumhe main force nehi kar sakta shadi ke liye! Lekin yeh bhi toh zaruri nehi, ki tum jo decide karogi, mujhe bhi woh manna padega!"_

 _Her face was pale, almost paper-white now, with just the thought of losing him forever again, but she did not say anything._

 _He clenched his fists in frustration. Why was she being so stubborn? Why she did not admit her feelings?_

 _Once again she was trying to kill her own dreams! But he would not let her! She could not do this to him… and to herself again!_

 _Daya tried to stay as calm as possible, "Shreya, zindegi mein main ne bohot sapne dekhe, jo puri nehi hui! Main apne dil ke sath samjhota kar liya, ki woh mere kismat mein nehi thi! Magar kabhi kisi aisi cheez ko pane ki koshish nehi kee, jis par mera haq na ho! Is baar bhi aisa hi hoga! agar tum humare pyaar ko ek pahechan nehi de sakti, kal agar koi tumse yeh pooche ki main tumhara kaun hoon, toh tum sar uthake uska jawab nehi de sakti, toh yeh pyaar ka bhikh nehi chahiye mujhe!_

 _Jis din tum humesha ke liye chali gayi thi, CID chodkar, shahar chodkar, main tumhe rokhne ki koshish nehi kee! Kyun ki tab tum kisi aur ki biwi thi, parayi aurat thi mere liye! Yehi main apne aapko phir se samjha lunga, ki tum toh kabhi meri thi hi nehi! Bich ka yeh kuch mahine, bas ek sapna tha! aur pichle 25 saal jaise beetaya hai, baki ki zindegi bhi waise hi guzar lunga!"_

 _He waited for a couple of minutes, but she sat still as a statue. With a sigh, he stood up and turned to leave. He was near the door, when he heard her voice._

" _Daya!"_

 _He could not tell what stopped him, she calling him, or for the first time she called him by name!_

 _He turned to face her, and saw her coming close, "nehi Daya! Aap nehi jaa sakte! Na hi main aapko jaane de sakti hoon!"_

 _Two short sentences spoke a million of words, and what left unspoken, were said by the trembling lips and deep brown eyes._

 _The worried and tough expression of his face was softened, as he understood. He opened his arms and she leaned forward and all but fell into them. He embraced her and carded his fingers softly in her hairs._

 _Face pressed in his chest, she whispered, "main dar gayi thi Daya! Mujhe yakeen nehi ho raha tha ki mere kismat mein yeh khushi bhi likhi hogi! Us din jab aapke muh se yeh suna ki aap bhi mujhse itna pyaar karte hain, tabhi mujhe laga ki mujhe sab kuch mil gaya! Aur uske baad jab… main un kuch palon mein apni zindegi ke sabse khubsoorat pal jee liya Daya, woh bhi aapke sath! Mujhe darr laga ki zindegi se isse zyada ummeed karungi, toh shayed phir se dard hi mile! Isliye… lekin main phir se aapko nehi kho sakti Daya, kabhi nehi!"_

 _Daya pulled away and gave her a reassuring smile, "main samajh sakta hoon Shreya! waise, tumne jo kuch kaha, woh bhi jhooth nehi tha, hai na! yeh naya mahol, Deepak ke sath mera rishta, in sab ke bare mein bhi tum soch rahi thi!"_

 _Shreya- haan sir! Lekin yeh pura sach bhi nehi hai! Matlab, in baaton ko lekar main thoda insecured feel toh zarur kar rahi hoon, lekin mujhe pata hai ki ise hum overcome kar sakte hain! Par…_

 _Daya smiled, "tumne bohot kuch soch liya Shreya, bas yeh nehi socha ki kya hum age ki zindegi ek dusre ke bina jee sakte hain? Ita sab hone ke baad? Hum dusre din ki sochke bohot waqt zaya kar lete hain Shreya! kal kya hoga yeh sochte sochte humhara aaj kab humare hath se nikal jata hai, pata hi nehi chalta! Ek baar yeh galati kee thi main, jiska kimat humdono ko apni zindegi ke 25 saal se chukana pada! Zindegi sab ko dusra mauka nehi deti Shreya, par humein de rahi hai! Use kaise gawa sakta hoon main?"_

 _She smiled and rested her head on his chest again. They stayed like that for sometimes, then the sound of doorbell brought them back to reality._

 _Shreya opened the door. It was Deepak._

 _On that day, he came home late night, so he had no idea about what happened between his mother and Daya. After the hurtful conversation of that day, both mother and son were keeping a distance from each other._

 _Today also he entered in the flat, without looking at Shreya, but he was surprised to see Daya there._

 _Deepak- Daya uncle, aap yahan?_

 _Daya gave him a little smile, and the intelligent youngster immediately understood that something happened, and it was for good!_

" _is it possible…? Do they really…?" he had a lot of questions in mind, but could not bring himself to ask._

 _He looked at Daya, searching for an answer. "uncle…?" he said, unsure._

 _Daya pulled him a little closer, and asked with a smirk, "beta, apni maa se poocho, ki unko aise hi shadi karna manzoor hai, ya ek official proposal chahiye? Jaise woh filmon mein dikhate hain na, woh romantic date, candles, violin, rose petals, engagement ring etc etc…!"_

 _Shreya turned bright red this time, "Daya, kya aap bhi! Kuch toh sharam kijiye! Deepak ke samne…"_

 _Daya was about to say something to Deepak again, but stopped as he was staring at him with his mouth wide-opened. He could not believe his own ears!_

 _Daya shook him lightly by his shoulder, and said softly, "yeh sach hai Deepak! Finally, hum dono ne ek faisla kiya hai!"_

 _In response, Deepak hugged him tightly. Voice choked in emotion, he said, "thank you uncle! Thank you so much! Aap nehi jante ki aaj main kitna khush hoon!"_

 _Daya patted his back, smiling._

 _He pulled away and turned to his mother. Little hesitantly, she reached one hand out towards him. Within seconds, he wrapped his both arms around her, face pressed in her neck. Shreya blinked back the tears threatening to fall, and kissed on his head._

 _He turned towards Daya and asked excitedly, "uncle, date decide kiya aap dono ne?"_

 _Daya smiled and raffled his hairs affectionately, "nehi beta, woh tum dono decide karoge." (throwing a glance towards Shreya) "I mean, tum aur Jyoti!"_

 _He was about to say something, when Shreya placed a hand on his back and said, "Jyoti ko phone laga, main baat karti hoon usse. Use ghar bulake, sari baatein aaj hi kar lenge. Waise, jahataq mujhe maloom hai, court-marriage ke liye ek mahine pahle notice dena padta hai, nehi?"_

 _Deepak frowned- court-marriage?_

 _Shreya (firmly)- haan, toh? baad mein tumlog chaho toh ek choti si party rakh sakte ho, lekin is umar mein main koi lahenga-choli pahenke, mehendi lagake nehi baithnewali hoon!_

 _Daya- haan haan, bilkul! Mujhe bhi koi shaukh nehi hai, is umar mein ghodi chadne ka! Agar galati se gir-wir gaya, toh shadi ke mandap mein nehi, sidha aspatal pohunchna hoga!_

 _The sound of laughter filled the apartment, finally making it a home._

Daya smiled, looking at a little framed photo of Shreya, placed on his bedside table. The journey was not smooth, but they made it.

A/N- extremely sorry for the late update. I was really busy these days, due to an exam. Moreover, everything didn't go as planned with this story. I had to change almost an entire chapter after writing.

Thanks everyone for your patience. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers and people who keep sending pms, demanding updates. Love u all.

Next and last chapter is planned to be posted the day after tomorrow. Please stay tuned.


	20. Chapter 20

Daya was combing his hairs, when he heard the familiar sound of a car, parking in front of his house. Within seconds, Abhijeet called out, "Daya, tu taiyaar hua ki nehi?"

Daya ran downstairs to open the door, "haan boss, bas 2 minute!"

Abhijeet looked at his wristwatch, "abhi bhi 2 minute? Yaar, 11 baje taq pohunchna hai!"

Daya- haan, pata hai mujhe! Tumlog andar aake baitho, bas abhi ho jayega!

Abhijeet- achha, thik hai! (to his kids) tum dono car mein hi baitho, main jaake dekhta hoon! Warna iska toh… do minute do minue karke, ek ghanta lag jayega! (to Daya) chal jaldi!

It really took a few minutes for Daya to get ready. He was searching for the house- keys, when Abhijeet asked, "waise Daya, tumne yahan aas-pados ke logon ko kuch bataya?"

Daya- kya? Meri shadi ke bare mein? (smirking) kuch baatein batane ki zarurat nehi hoti Abhi, logon ko aise hi pata chal jata hai! I am sure, ab taq puri society mein kafi gossips chal raha hoga! (being serious) waise kisi ko samne se kuch kahne ki himmat nehi hogi, aur mere pith piche kaun kya bol raha hai, is baat ka mujhe koi parwa nehi! Haan, mujhe chinta thi ki, kahin koi Shreya ya Deepak se kuch ulta-sidha sawal na pooche, ya kuch ne kare, jisse unko pareshani ho! Isliye main Society ke secretary Mishra ji se baat kee hai. Hum dono kafi saalon se ek dusre ke padosi hain, achhe dost bhi hain woh mere! Unhone mujhse wada kiya ki woh dhyaan rakhenge ta ki aisa kuch na ho, aur agar hua, toh woh uske khilaf action lenge!

Abhijeet- chalo, achha hai! Aur tumhari family… I mean tumhare bhai aur bahen ko?

Daya sighed, "haan, bataya na! unko toh bulaya bhi reception ke liye!"

Abhijeet- toh… kya kaha unhone?

Daya- kuch khas nehi! Bhaiya-bhabi ka toh tumko pata hai, itne saal se America mein rah rahe hain, unke liye yeh koi itni badi baat nehi! Bas itna kaha ki woh khush hain mere liye, ki finally main settle kar raha hoon, mera pyaar mujhe mil gaya, bas yehi sab! Woh reception mein toh nehi aa payenge, lekin unhone kaha ki is baar chutti mein India aane ki koshish karenge! Puja aur jijaji thoda chaunk gaye the, kuch sawal-jawab bhi kiya, lekin zyada kuch nehi! Malhar ko toh shayed chutti nehi milegi, lekin woh dono reception mein aane ki puri koshish karenge. Dekho na, woh table par jo flower bouquets hai, ek bhaiya ke taraf se aaya hai, aur ek Puja ke.

Abhijeet could feel that there was a deep pain underlying the simple statements, but did not understand why. He stayed silent, waiting for him to say something more.

Daya turned to him, "mera isse zyada koi expectation bhi nehi tha Abhi! unke sath mera jo rishta hai, kya aaj waqei woh koi maine rakhte hai unke liye? Nehi Abhijeet, ab toh bas ek formal relation rah gaya hai! Unko kya farq padta hai meri zindegi mein kya ho raha hai is baat se? jabtaq usse unki zindegi mein koi asar na pade? Shayed galati meri bhi hai! Main ne bhi kabhi utna apnapan jatane ki koshish nehi kee! Woh dono apni apni zindegi mein settled ho gaye, apna ek duniya basa liya, aur main ne apne job ko hi apni zindegi bana lee! Kabhi unki duniya ka hissa banne ki koshish hi nehi kee!"

Abhijeet placed a hand on his shoulder and about to say something, but Daya cut him off, "tum dono pahle is rishte ke khilaf the, khas kar Tarika! Kitni koshish kee mujhe rokhne ki aur… Abhi, main janta hoon aaj woh kyun nehi aa rahi hai!"

Abhijeet- yaar, main ne use bohot samjhaya, magar…

Daya- janta hoon Abhi! lekin yeh bhi janta hoon ki woh aisa kyun kar rahi hai! She cares for me, I know that! Use lag raha hai ki hum galat kar rahe hain, isse koi khush nehi rahega! Yeh uski galati nehi hai Abhijeet! Ek umar ke baad kisi insaan, khas kar kisi aurat ke liye life mein koi change, koi bada decision ko accept karna asaan nehi hota! Aur main yeh bhi janta hoon ki jab hum use galat sabit kar denge, toh sabse zyada wohi khush hogi! Kyun ki tumlog meri asli family ho! Aur tumhe farq padta hai!

With moist eyelids, Abhijeet patted his shoulder. And the next moment, both heard Tanisha calling out, "papa, chachu, kitni derr? We're getting late!"

Abhijeet shouted back, "haan, aaya abhi!" and pulled Daya by his hand, "chal yaar, ab sach mein derr ho rahi hai!"

 _At Marriage-Registrar's Office:-_

Abhijeet- Daya, wohlog abhi taq nehi aaye! zara phone karke dekho!

Daya- Deepak se abhi abhi baat hui meri! Wohlog ghar se nikal chuke hain, bas aate hi honge.

Within minutes, a cab arrived there. Deepak and Jyoti came out.

Daya- yeh lo, aa gaye wohlog!

He introduced them to Abhijeet and his children. They exchanged greetings.

Abhijeet- par beta, Shreya kahan hai?

Actually Daya's eyes were searching for her, since they reached, but he was feeling awkward to ask.

Jyoti- ek minute uncle!

She went to the car and opened the door for her. She came out of the car.

For a second, Daya was completely out of breath! It's the same condition, once he went through, seeing her on her engagement-day! She was still the same… no, not same, but she was looking more beautiful today! What he never noticed, she gained a little weight with age, but that made her figure perfect. Wrapped in emerald-green chiffon, hairs beautifully tied up in low side-bun, red roses pinned around it, wearing a light gold-necklace, designed as mango-leafs, matching earrings and two bangles and a bindi between eye-brows, her beauty was mesmerizing! She had applied some make-up, of course, but the glow in her face was not due to make up, Daya could easily tell. He could not take away his eyes from her!

Shreya looked up to meet his eyes. Today she did not even try to hide the blush, turning her face in pink.

Their trance was broken by Tanisha's voice, "wow! Aunty aap kitni sundar lag rahi hain!"

Shreya smiled at her, "thanks beta!"

Deepak- waise Daya uncle bhi bohot handsome lag rahe hain, kyun maa?"

Shreya pretended not to hear him, but her eyes were silently giving a lot of compliments, which Daya could see. He actually was looking amazing in the cream-color sherwani. This color really suited him.

Abhijeet- chalo chalo, yeh sab baatein toh hoti rahegi! (to Daya) aur tum dono, baad mein ek dusre ko jee bhar ke dekh lena, aaj ke baad yehi toh karna hai! Philhaal chalo, jo kaam karne aaye hain, pahle woh nipta lete hain!

Now it's Daya's turn to blush. He tried to protest as, "kya Abhi", but Abhijeet and others already moved from there. Daya and Shreya also followed them.

The procedure of marriage was successfully done. Abhijeet signed the papers as witness from groom's side, and Deepak and Jyoti from bride's. Everyone congratulated the newly-married couple.

Abhijeet- yaar Daya, aaj main bohot khush hoon! Kisi ne sach kaha hai, jodiyan toh upar banti hain! Jo jiske kismat mein hota hai, chahe kitni bhi mushkilein kyun na aaye, use woh milta zarur! Kya kabhi kisi ne socha tha, ki tum dono kabhi ek ho paoge? Lekin aisa hi hua! Aaj mujhe zindegi se aur kuch nehi chahiye yaar, kuch bhi nehi!

With tear-filled eyes, Daya hugged his best friend. Abhijeet caressed his head lovingly, before hugging back.

After a while they pulled back, and Abhijeet said, "Daya, tum dono sirf court-marriage karne ka decision liya, woh toh thik hai, par kuch rasmein hai jise pura karna chahiye!"

Both Daya and Shreya gave him questioning glances.

Abhijeet pulled out a velvet-covered jewellery-box from his coat-pocket, which contained a mangalsutra. He handed it over to Daya.

Abhijeet- yeh tumhari shadi ka gift hai Shreya, humari taraf se. Daya, Shreya ko yeh pahena do!

Smiling, Daya did as told. Everyone clapped. The couple smiled looking at each other.

Arjun- chalo, finally sari rasam complete! Toh abhi hum lunch ke liye jaa rahe hain na? bohot bhukh lagi hai!

Abhijeet lightly slapped his head, "bilkul apne chacha pe gaya hai yeh ladka!"

Daya- haan, toh? mera bhatija mujh pe gaya hai, tumko kya problem hai? Chal beta, hum lunch ke liye chalte hain! Inhe agar nehi aana hai, toh mat aaye, hum toh jayenge!

Suddenly a voice from behind said, "rukho Daya! Sari rasmein abhi puri nehi hui hai!"

Everyone turned and became astound.

Abhijeet- Tarika, tum?

Tarika- kyun? Daya aur Shreya ki shadi mein main nehi aa sakti?

Abhijeet- nehi matla, tum hi ne toh kaha tha ki… tumko zaruri kaam hai, nehi aa paogi…

Tarika- kaam khatam karke hi aa rahi hoon.

She moved near Shreya and said with a smile, "hi Shreya! congratulations!"

Till now, Shreya just kept staring silently. She was too shocked to say anything. This woman once was her best friend. But within time, those fond memories were faded. In her CID-days, once Abhijeet was arrested because of her. Tarika never forgave her for that, though the matter was solved between them, because of Abhijeet. Tarika tried a lot to stop her from getting married to Siddharth, as she knew it would hurt Daya terribly, and Shreya also would not be happy. She asked her many times to talk to Daya directly, but Shreya kept clinging to her ego and the age-old idea, that 'a girl should not propose first.' Shreya took the decision of marriage, mostly because of her family, but she knew that she was wrong, at least in Tarika's eyes.

When shreya heard from Daya, that Tarika was now against their marriage, she did not say anything, but thought that she still held the grudges against her. She did not expect her to be here.

"why is she here? To create a scene? To humiliate me? But she could not do anything, as the marriage is already done! But she could spit the venom she had for me in her heart! If she does anything like that, would anyone stop her? Will Daya speak up for me? And what will Abhijeet sir do?" A lot of thoughts flooded her mind. All she could manage to say was "thanks", in a awkward tone.

Both stayed silent for a minute, then Tarika said calmly, "kaisi ho tum?"

Shreya- bas… thik hoon! Tum kaisi ho?

Tarika- fine! Aur, mujhe apne bachhon se nehi milwaogi?

Shreya- haan, sure! Deepak, Jyoti…

But Tarika stopped her, giving both of them a smile, "achha chodo, yeh sab toh hota rahega! Pata hai Shreya, main kyun aayi hoon?"

Shreya shook her head, frowning.

Tarika smiled, "tumko shayed pata hoga, main is shadi ke khilaf thi! Lekin woh isliye nehi ki, tum mujhe pasand nehi ho, ya mujhe tumse koi shikhayet hai! Saalon pahle jo kuch bhi hua ho, woh main bohot pahle bhool chuki hoon Shreya! aj mere dil mein waqei kuch nehi hai! Lekin mujhe darr tha, ki tum dono phir se ek galat faisla lene jaa rahe ho! Isse sirf problems create hogi, koi khush nehi rahega! Aur Daya ke liye main aisa nehi chahti thi! Tum bhi meri dost ho, lekin zindegi ne hum dono ko bohot dur kar diya ek dusre se! par Daya humesha mera dost raha, meri… humari zindegi ka ek ahem hissa raha! Mujhe uske liye chinta ho rahi thi! (brief pause) lekin jab Abhijeet ne mujhe sari baatein bataya, tab pata chala ki main galat thi. Pyaar dil se kiya jata hai, lekin main toh dimag se soch rahi thi! Isliye toh tum dono ke pyaar ki sachhai mujhe dikhai nehi di! Pyaar woh ahsaas hai jo har musibat se ladne ki taaqat deti hai, aur har sthiti mein khush rahne ki, sath rahne ki kabiliyat! Tumhare pyaar mein woh kabiliyat hai Shreya! isliye aaj, dil se, tum dono ko badhai dene aayi hoon!"

Shreya tried to say something, but found her voice was chocked in emotion.

Everyone around them released the breath, for some unknown reason, they held so long.

Daya broke the awkward silence, "lekin Tarika, tum kuch rasam ki baat kar rahi thi… woh kya hai?"

Tarika- arre haan! Ek minute.

She pulled out a small, beautiful golden casket from his bag, filled with vermilion.

Shreya- sindur ka dibba?

Tarika- haan. I know it's a bit awkward, par yeh na karke bhi mujhe chain nehi mil rahi thi! Woh kya hai, humare yahan ek riwaaz hai, jab nayi bahu ghar aati hai, tab ghar ki kisi buzurg aurat ke hatho use aisa sone ka sindur ka dibba diya jata hai! Ab tumhare sasural mein toh aisa koi hai nehi, lekin… jaise tum janti ho, Abhijeet Daya ko apna bhai mante hain, toh us nate main tumhari jethani hoon! Toh yeh haq toh mujhe milna chahiye, kyun?

This time Shreya did not even try to speak, just pulled Tarika in a tight hug! Face pressed in her shoulder, she let the tears fall, some of the unknown emotion chocking her voice, and some of the shame and guilt. She should not think like that about Tarika! Their friendship might not be that strong, but at least they were not enemies!

Sometimes it really feels good to proved wrong.

They pulled back and found everyone smiling at them. Tarika also smiled and handed the casket to Daya.

Tarika- yeh lo Daya! Shreya ki mang mein sindur bharke, use puri tarah apni patni ke roop mein swikar karo!

Daya smiled, "uske liye sindur ki zarurat nehi hai Tarika, woh toh main pahle hi kar chuka hoon!" but he did as instructed.

No one but Daya noticed that her breath hitched. Actually, she won't admit it later, but the pinch of vermilion gave her a great sooth; and a feeling of being complete!

Abhijeet- chalo, yeh rasam bhi ho gaya! Abhi hum chale?

Tarika- haan. Waise Daya, tumlogon ke nikal jane ke baad main tumhare ghar gayi thi! Duplicate keys toh hoti hi hai mere paas! Thoda-bohot decoration karna tha, aur Shreya ke swagat ki bhi kuch taiyaari karni thi! Sab khatam karke a baa rahi hoon!

Daya looked at her, surprised, "Tarika, tum akele yeh sab…"

Tarika- nehi, Manisha bhabi ko bula liya tha, aur Mrs. Mishra ne bhi kafi madat kee hain!

Daya- arre, phir unko sath lekar kyun nehi aayi! I mean, Freddy, Manisha bhabi aur Mishra ji aur unki patni ko main ne reception mein bulaya hai, lekin aaj lunch pe bhi bulana chahiye! Itna sab kiya unhone! Koi baat nehi, main abhi phone karta hoon!

Tarika- nehi Daya, main ne kaha tha unse! Par Mrs. Mishra ke ghar aaj guests anewale hain, aur Freddy sir abhi Mumbai mein nehi hain. Manisha bhabi akeli toh nehi aayengi na! tum baad mein unse baat kar lena!

Daya- achha thik hai! Par Tarika yeh sab karne ki kya zarurat…

Tarika (in warning tone)- Dayaa!

Daya shook his head, smiling.

Shreya said in a low tone, "thanks Tarika! Tumne humare liye itna kuch kiya…"

Tarika stopped her, "thanks ki koi zarurat nehi hai Shreya! yeh mera farz tha, aur tumhara haq."

Now Arjun was getting impatient, "ho gaya aap sab ka? Abhi chale?"

Daya- haan haan, chalo!

Everyone moved from there, but Deepak called Daya from behind.

Deepak- Daya uncle!

Daya stopped, "haan beta?"

Deepak hesitated a little, "uncle woh… ek baat poochna chahta tha…"

Daya- haan bolo na, kya hai?

Deepak- uncle kya… kya ab main aapko papa bula sakta hoon?

Daya could not answer immediately. 'Papa'- he always desired to be addressed as… but right at the moment, he felt so… strange! It's not like he did not want Deepak to do it! He loved Deepak as his own son… wait, what did that mean? He never had a son of his own!

When Arjun was born, he asked Abhijeet that how did it feel to be a father? Abhijeet said it was the most beautiful thing happened to him in life! He said that he loved Daya with all his heart, he loved Tarika more than anything in this world, and he never thought that he could love anyone else more than them; but when Arjun came, what he felt was not love, it was a feeling much deeper than that, which no word could describe or define! It was the same when Tanisha came, he felt that he was the luckiest person in the world.

Why was Daya not feeling the same? Was it because Deepak was not his own blood? Was Tarika right, that he could never forget the fact that Deepak was Siddharth's son?

"No, that's not true!" he screamed mentally. For a split second he thought it was, but his heart knew it was not.

He remembered their conversation at that night on highway. How could he forget that if it was not because of Deepak, this day would never come to his life? And that night, he did not know if he would ever get Shreya or not, but he accepted Deepak as his son.

He would be happy to be called as "papa" or "dad", whatever Deepak liked. It just sounded unfamiliar, that's why he was a bit puzzled. He did not know what to say.

But he took a little more time to think, and Deepak misunderstood his silence. He quickly said, "it's ok uncle, agar aap comfortable nehi hain, toh koi baat nehi! I can understand." He tried to speak normally, but the hurt was not hidden in his voice.

And he left, without waiting for an answer.

Daya shook his head. A mistake was done again. And it had to be rectified immediately.

They enjoyed their lunch together in a restaurant. No one, not even Shreya noticed that Deepak was keeping a distance from Daya. Not in a way that anyone could doubt that something was wrong, but Daya could sense it. But he did not get a chance to talk to him.

After lunch, the ladies decided to go for some window-shopping, and the men were forced to accompany them. Daya was not in a mood, but seeing a gift-shop, he got a plan.

Within two hours, Abhijeet and his family left for Daya's home, as Tarika said that she would do the rituals of "swagat" of the bride. Daya dropped Jyoti at her PG, and Deepak to their flat. As the rent of the flat was already paid for the month, it was decided that Deepak would stay there for the last two weeks. He would move to Daya's house on first day of the next month.

Daya and Shreya also came to the flat, as Shreya had to collect some of her belongings, though most of her things were already taken to her new address. She instructed Deepak to stay safe and take proper care of himself, to call her every day, and other things a mother always concerned for! Deepak smiled and assured her that everything would be fine! But when Daya said the same things, he just nodded curtly.

When they left, Deepak closed the door and came back to the hall. Immediately his eyes fell upon a gift-pack, placed on the centre-table.

Curious, he opened it. It contained a box of expensive chocolates, with a paper attached to it, and a beautiful greetings-card, with a picture of a father and son, enjoying in rain.

He read the paper in chocolate-box first.

"Deepak beta, yeh woh chocolates hai, jo tum jab 5 saal ke the, tab tumhe chahiye tha, lekin tumne mujhse manga nehi! Main tab tumhare paas nehi tha na!

Pata hai, kahin saalon se main ne bhi intezaar kiya, ki kab tum miloge, aur main yeh chocolate, woh stuffed puppy, woh cycle, woh cricket-bat, sab tumhare hath mein de sakun! Kab tum collage jaate waqt mere after-shave lagate huye pakde jao! Kab apne dosto ke sath bahar jaate waqt mere bike lene ki zid karo! Hum dono sath baithke derr raat taq match dekhe, aur phir tumhari mummy hum dono ko daantein, ki main ne tumhe bigadke rakha! Lekin apne dil ke in chupe huye armaano ke bare mein, mujhe khud nehi maloom tha! Aaj jab tumne 'papa' kaha, pahli baar, woh ek pal mein main ne woh sare pal jee liya, jo asli zindegi mein mujhe kabhi naseeb nehi hua!

Ek din main ne tumse poocha tha ki is rishte se humein kya milega! Tumhari maa ka toh pata nehi, par mujhe woh sab mil gaya, jiski mujhe kabhi ummeed nehi thi!

Thanks beta! Thanks for everything!"

With tear-filled eyes, Deepak opened the greetings-card. Just two lines were written inside;

" _kore kore sapne mere kitne saalon se the adhure,_

 _Dheere dheere rang sajake tu ne kar diye unko pure."_

 _With Love_

 _Papa_

Deepak held the gift pack close to his chest, and whispered, "thanks Papa! Thanks a lot."

At the same time, Daya was sitting at the terrace of his house, watching the sunset. He remembered the other day, he watched the sunset alone. Everything was so different now!

Shreya came and sat beside him. For a long time, both stayed silent, relishing the moment, the warmth of the presence of each other. When two hearts are that close, talking is not necessary to express feelings.

Finally, Shreya broke the silence, "kya soch rahe hain?"

Daya- kuch nehi, bas… kabhi socha nehi tha Shreya, ki yeh din bhi kabhi humari zindegi mein aayega!

She leaned closer and rested her head on his shoulder. Smiling, he lifted the arm and let her head fall on his chest.

After a few seconds, he said, "Shreya, har bachhe zindegi mein apne maa-baap se bohot kuch sikhte hain! Lekin woh maa-baap bohot kismatwale hote hain, jinke bachhon se unhe koi seekh mil jaye! Aaj job hi kuch huya, woh Deepak aur Jyoti ke waje se hi toh hai! Warna hum kabhi soch bhi nehi sakte the ki…"

Shreya sighed, "haan Daya! Pata hai, kabhi kabhi bohot afsos hota hai, agar us waqt…"

Daya cut her off, "nehi Shreya! ab koi purani baatein nehi! Narazgi mein, galatfehmi mein hum ne apni zindegi ka bohot kimti waqt zaya kar liya! Abhi agar afsos karne baith gaye, toh aur kitna waqt bachega humare paas?"

Shreya smiled, "nehi Daya, woh baat nehi hai! Main bas yeh soch rahi thi ki, agar us waqt ek kadam main ne badhya hota, ek baar apne pyaar ka izhaar kiya hota, toh mere sath sath Deepak ko bhi ek bahtar zindegi milti! Use kabhi apne pita ki kami mahsoos nehi hota! Aaj woh aapka apna beta hota aur…"

She had to stop as Daya pressed a palm on her lips, "sshhh! Aisa kabhi dubara mat kahena! Deepak mera hi beta hai! Shayed mera apna khoon nehi, lekin us baat se kisi ko koi farq nehi padta! Aur… aaj se humare bich kuch bhi mera ya tumhara nehi hai! Jo bhi hai, humara hai! Deepak bhi humara hai! Ok?"

Shreya smiled and gently squeezed his palm, "ok. Waise, ek hisab se, woh waqei aapka beta hai!"

Daya looked at her, "matlab?"

Shreya- aapko toh pata hai, jab main humesha ke liye woh ghar chodkar aayi thi, tab Deepak ka janam honewala tha! un nau (9) mahine mein main bas aapke bare mein sochti rahi, Bhagwan se yeh dua karti rahi ki mere bachhe par, Siddharth ke khoon ka koi asar na ho! Meri aulad mein, mujhe aap nazar aaye! aur, Bhagwan ne meri yeh ichha puri kar di! Aur pata hai, main pahle se sochke rakhha, ki agar mujhe beta huya, toh Deepak naam rakhungi, aur agar beti hui toh, Diya! Poochiye kyun?

Daya echoed her question, "kyun?"

Shreya- uski do wajah thi! Ek toh mere zindegi ke sab se andhre waqt pe, woh ek nayi roshni banke aa raha tha! aur dusra yeh, aapke naam ka pahla akshar se uska naam bhi shuru ho, ta ki jab bhi use bulaun, mujhe aapki yaad aaye!

Daya could not say anything, as his voice was chocked in emotion. He leaned in and pressed a kiss on her head.

They stayed like that for a while, then Shreya whispered again, "aapko kuch nehi kahena hai mujhse? Aaj ke is khas pal ke liye?"

Daya took some time before answer, "Shreya, yeh pal agar 25 saal pahle humari zindegi mein aayi hoti, toh kahne ke liye bohot kuch hota! Lekin abhi mann mein jo aa raha hai;

What if we still ride on, we two,  
With life forever old yet new,  
Changed not in kind but in degree,  
The instant made eternity,  
And heaven just prove that I and she  
Ride, ride together, forever ride?"

Today, she cupped his face and pressed her lips on his. Their age, the judgmental people around them, did not matter at all now! They did not know what would happen to them tomorrow, but they knew that this moment of love, had become a part of eternity! This moment would never end, and they would live forever in this moment.

 _Because love-stories never end…_

A/N- finally, it's complete. Thanks to all of my readers and reviewers for staying by my side through the entire journey. Thanks for your valuable opinions, for criticisms, for helping me to do better.

Special thanks to Geet, Mystic Morning, Aash Vin, Kingaftab, Karan, Topaz007, Dareya lovers, Harshit, Pari 24, Richa Darshan and guests. Love u all.


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